


The ProfessionARC

by cr00cy



Category: RWBY
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-04
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2019-07-25 04:26:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 207,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16190057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cr00cy/pseuds/cr00cy
Summary: Combat schools spend millions on creating the newest generation of Hunters. They had forgotten the old way, the hard way...the right way.





	1. Prologue

 

Jaune let out a pleased sigh. The weather was nice, despite it being September. The Arc family was visiting one of many small villages on the outskirts of Vale. Officially, it was in celebration of whole family gathering - his father just come back from a near nine months long mission. Unofficially, it was to cheer up Jaune after his rejection from the local combat prep school.

He had tried to convince them he wasn’t upset about it anymore, but they had insisted.

 _Well, it’s not like a family holiday is bad thing._ Thought Jaune.

_Plus, for once it’s Dad who gets to help Mom with girls. I can finally have some time for myself…_

He was shaken from his thoughts by an accusation. “You’re late!” The eleven years-old red-haired, green-eyed girl in front of him shouted. She wore a simple white dress, a straw hat with a wide rim, and some flowers stuck into it, and was currently pointing a finger at him, condemningly.

_...and her._

Jaune sighed again, but smiled nonetheless.

“Hi Samantha. Sorry about that, Rubin didn’t want to let me go.”

She tapped her mouth with one finger a few times, stopped, and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“I shall forgive you this once… for two ice creams.” Was her gracious offer.

He rolled his eyes. “Fine. I saw stall over there, let’s go.”

She nodded, smiled, and took his hand.

Samantha was the daughter of some of his Dad’s oldest friends. They first met around three years ago - when her parents came to visit their old friend. At first, Jaune thought she was just another young girl he would have to take care of. She proved him wrong almost instantly. She and Jaune had become fast friends - which of course prompted tons of teasing from his sisters, and both of their parents.

Samantha was an only child, and her parents spoiled her whenever they could. He wouldn’t say she was arrogant - but she was very strong-willed. All this seemed set to breed conflict between the two of them, but somehow, it had just...worked out.

Jaune appreciated Samantha’s blunt honesty, and her strong drive and determination in reaching whatever goal she set for herself.

She in turn respected Jaune for his non-intrusive caring, and dedication to taking care of his sisters. He wasn’t dotting on them, could put on a hard stance when needed, or let them make they own mistakes when he deemed it safe enough.

Jaune bought Samantha the promised ice creams - vanilla, and strawberry - and spent the next hour or so just wandering around the small village with her.

“So, what are you going to do now?” She asked.

They leaned on the wooden handrail of the small bridge on the outskirts of village. The river that flowed beneath wasn’t too deep, but its current was strong. The two of them were throwing pieces of bread, and watching fishes below trying to catch the easy food.

“Not sure. But, I can kiss a Hunter carrier goodbye, that’s for sure.” He said wistfully.

She looked at him, her eyes narrowing.

“You’re going to give up? Just like that?” She accused.

Jaune smiled.

Giving up was one of two things Samantha hated most. The other was coming late to a set meeting - something Jaune unfortunately had a habit of doing. But hey - if he didn’t HAVE to hurry, he liked to take it easy. Afterall, taking care of six younger (and sometime one older) sisters was very taxing on a man.

“It’s not giving up when there are no options left. I might try again next year - but it’s even harder to get in late. You would have to be at least at the same level as the average student. I haven’t had enough time to train up till now, and now there is even more girls I have to take care of.”

“So what are you going to do now?” She repeated her previous question.

“Probably help Mom with her medicines. Turns out I’m pretty good at it. Even made few things myself.”

“Where did you bury the bodies? I haven’t heard of a mass murder in Silver Lake, so there couldn’t have been too many victims.” She teased.

Jaune just shook his head. Why an eleven year old girl had such a sharp tongue, and such morbid sense of humor - was beyond him.

“Well, you can ask your our dads. They’re both been taking my motion sickness medicine for a few weeks now.” He answered.

The look of surprise on her face was priceless.

“Hmph. Then maybe you have some uses other than childcare… or as my wallet.”

“Sure. I guess that means you don’t want a piece of this chocolate cake I made…” he said, looking away from her.

The sudden gasp from her was something he had expected - Samantha had sweet tooth rivaled by no one. And he WAS good at making sweets - he had to survive with so many sisters somehow.

What he didn’t expect was the sound of cracking wood, and a loud splash.

When he looked back, Samantha, and the section of railing she was leaning on, were gone. He ran to other side of bridge - just in time to see her being carried away by the strong current.

Later, when he was recalling these events, he could never remember exactly how he got into water. One moment he was staring at Samantha’s white dress drifting further, and further away, the next he was in water, desperately trying to catch up to her.

By some miracle, he managed to reach her - and then the fight to keep both of their heads above water began. Jaune didn’t know how long it lasted - but when current slowed enough for him to swim to shore, he had never been so exhausted and ached all over. His vision was swimming, his lungs burned, and each breath was painful. The trip in the river was rough one - he had earned quite a few close encounters with the rocks. The only saving grace was that Samantha had calmed down at some point, and stopped struggling.

_But she could help now._

Thought Jaune after he dragged both of them to the shore. He laid on his back, next to his friend, desperately trying to caught his breath.

“Hey Samantha, you ok?” he asked, turning towards the girl.

There were no response.

“Samantha?”

The only sound was that of flowing water and wind in the leaves.

Jaune pushed himself up and looked at his friend - she laid in the same position he left her, eyes open wide, not moving.

Jaune gulped, dragging himself to her, and put his ear close to her mouth.

He neither felt nor heard anything.

The sudden cold he felt had nothing to do with fact he was completely drenched.

_Calm down. Mom and Dad taught you first aid. You know what to do, just stay calm._

He took deep breath, held it, and let it go.

Step one: check if the victim is breathing. She wasn’t.

Step two - call help. _I can’t - I don’t have scroll, and there is no one around. But, there were a few people around - I remember them screaming. Someone is bound to call for help._

Step three - start CPR.

He moved over to his motionless friend and started to press on her chest. His mind raced.

_What was the routine? 2 breaths for every 20 pushes? 10? How fast should I do it? Damn, I can’t remember!_

He could feel his eyes began to sting.

_Am I pushing hard enough? Or maybe too hard? Am I even doing it in the right place? The heart was on the left side, right? But was it there? Or maybe higher? Does it even matter? Shit, I don’t know!_

His arms were aching, and his breath was coming in labored gasps.

_I can’t stop. I absolutely can’t stop - not until help arrives._

A rustle of leaves, and the sound of breaking branches filled him with hope.

_Someone’s coming!_

The low growling that followed killed the hope instantly.

_Something. Something has come._

Several more rustles, and growls sounded.

_Somethings. Pluar. Shit! What do I do? I could try to drag the Grimm away… but she’ll die if I stop! But if I don’t do something she’ll die too! What can I do? My arms hurt, I can’t keep this up for long._

Tears were streaming down his face.

_Someone help.. Please, someone, anyone…_

He heard heavy steps coming closer.

_Don’t look up. If you see them you’ll panic. They still haven’t attacked, maybe they won’t if you don’t do anything to tick them off. Just don’t look up._

He looked up.

Just in time to see the Beowolf jump at them, maw wide open.

What he didn’t see is whatever cut said Beowolf in two.

All he noticed was the blurry shape that ran past the beast. All he heard was “keep it up, kid!” Screamed by said blurr. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Jaune had been too focused on the motionless girl under him.

_Breath! Please breath Sam! You can’t leave me! Who’s going to tell me not to give up if you’re not here?!_

He couldn’t feel his arms anymore, just a vague pressure, and jolts of pain.

“Switch, kid.” A calm voice sounded, and pair of arms appeared in Jaune vision. He vaguely recalled a feeling that he shouldn’t let this stranger place his hands on his friend, his Samantha, but couldn’t remember why. So instead he collapsed on his back, taking gulps of air, and wondering if he really needed lungs to live.

The last thing he heard before passing out was more rustling and more voices - thankfully human this time.

 

He awoke slowly. First his sense of feeling returned, then hearing, and then he realized he had been staring at the ceiling for few moments. An unfamiliar ceiling.

He looked around the room. All the walls were wooden, and covered in animal pelts. There were a few covering the floor too. The room itself wasn’t large - in fact it could be considered rather small. The bed he was lying on, covered most of the length of one wall. There was a nightstand next to him with his belongings laid out on it.

“Finally awake kid?”

He looked to his left. There, sitting at small desk, under the only window in the room, was man Jaune vaguely recognized. Armor, swords, hair so pale that it looked grey… or maybe white? Then he recalled their meeting just few weeks ago - just after he failed his entrance exam to the local combat prep school.

“You’re the Hunter with motion sickness.”

“And you’re the kid that runs around city serving medicine to strangers.”

“What’s your name anyway?” Jaune asked.

The older man seemed to consider for a second before answering. “Call me Leon.”

“I’m Jaune.” The boy reached his hand out instinctually, before wincing and clutching his side.

“Easy there kid. You have two cracked ribs. Nothing too serious, but it’ll be annoying for few weeks.”

Jaune looked at older man and opened his mouth to ask a question.

“We’re at the Hunter’s Rest. It’s a pub in a small settlement about an hour walk from Vale’s west gate. Brought you here around twenty hours ago - you slept the whole time. Girl that was with you is fine - she was taken to the clinic, and woke up about six hours ago. Doctor said there is no reason to worry, and they signed her out on her parents’ wish. Anything else you want to know?”

Jaune blinked few times then said.

“My family…”

“Downstairs. With all your sisters, your friend, and her parents. Looks like they’re getting along with Mei and Tob - they own this place”

Jaune’s stomach growled loudly. “Can I get something to eat?”

His companion laughed, but it sounded a bit nervous.

“Considering the last I saw your mom and Mei they were in the kitchen, I would say that yes, you will get ‘something’ to eat.”

Jaune gulped. This might be… bad.

“Could you… like, not tell them I’m awake?

“I could… but I think it’s a bit too late for that.” He said pointing at the door.

And the small brown-haired, girl that stood there, green eyes wide open.

_Rubin… no._

“Rub…” Was all he managed to say before she ran away screaming “Jaune is awake” at the top of her lungs.

“Any last wishes?” The man next to him asked with a serious voice.

“Bury me under the big chestnut tree on the northside of Silver Lake”

“Will do.” The man shook his head. “Before we get swamped, let’s get down to business kid. I have an offer for you.”

“An offer?”

“Yeah. You wanted to be a Huntsman right?” He waited for Jaune to nod. “Well, you might have failed that entrance exam, but out there with that girl? The way you jumped after her? Well, that’s about the most Huntsman thing I’ve ever seen. You still wanna to be one, kid?”

“More than anything.” Jaune whispered.

“Then how about becoming my student?” Jaune stared at man, mouth wide open. “Don’t think it will be easy. You will suffer under my tutelage. You will know the true meaning of hardship. You may not even survive. You will gain something, but you will unquestionably lose something of yourself as well.” He stared into Jaune’s eyes. “What say you boy?”

He stared back. “I belong to my family first. If they can spare me, I’m yours.”

The old Huntsman grinned. “Well, I think we won’t have to wait long.”

Seconds later, a tide of very concerned women washed over the small room.

 

* * *

 

Jaune’s recovery took about a week. During this time, the Arcs and Samantha’s family become fast friends with Mei and Tob. Now they were all sitting in Hunter’s Rest main hall.

Everyone was staring at Jaune - most of them excited.

Jaune was staring back - not sure if he heard right.

“Come again?” he asked dumbly.

“Oh come on! What there is to not understand?” This was Samantha - she looked irritated, but he could still see how the tips of her mouth curled up.

“We thought about it a lot, and decided we owe you at least this much. I couldn’t give all help I could’ve - and should’ve. And with all the contracts I have, there is no guarantee I will be able in the future. As hard as it is for me to say - this is all I can do for you.” Said his father.

“But..the girls..”

“They’re growing up, honey. Cere can help..” a loud ‘hey’ interrupted his mother’s speech.

“Cere and Rubin can help with taking care of rest.” She amended.

“But they’re too young…”

A gentle hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up, to his father smiling face.

“They are much older than you were, when you started helping with raising your sisters. It’s time for you to follow your dreams, not push them aside for family’s sake.”

“So…” Jaune gulped “So, I can become Hunter?”

“Depends on you, kiddo. You have guts to jump in to help others. Even if this means you lose something important, like your dream - or your life. So you have right attitude. What you lack is skill, and experience. Fortunately for you, both can be gained - if you’re willing to work for it.”

He was. He was willing to work harder than anyone.

He looked at his family - all of them were giving him supporting smiles, few of them gave him reassuring nods.

He looked to Samantha - she gave him thumbs-up and mouthed “go for it.”

Finally, he looked at man who offered him chance to achieve his dream.

Jaune took deep breath and gave his answer.

The man nodded.

* * *

 

 

_And to think I considered refusing._

Jaune Arc smiled at the memory.

_Can’t believe almost four years have passed._

He looked around. It was dark, but he could make out small patches of upturned earth. He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the night forest.

It was so peaceful.

_Won’t be for long…_

He thought, hearing the heavy footsteps approach.

Jaune Arc smiled.

His prey had come.

 

**AN. Well hello folks to my first story. It was in my head forever a year now - and thanks to JJD’s encuragment (go and read his story Fighting Mean) I decided to finally write it. Just a heads up - I orginally posted this story on FF net, and there are over 30 chapter published there already. So if you want, you can go and read them there.**

**Also, few disclamers:**

**1)This is slight AU. Not by much, and it will follow cannon storyline, but i added few things.**

**2)This will be slight crossover-ish story. With what you ask? Well, try to guess. I’ll** **throw few hints here and there, and make it clear in ch 3.**

**3) About chapters - this is just prologue. Official first chapter will go out this Monday. I'll probbaly will be updating one or two chapters per week, untill I caught up with FFnet version.**

**4)Paring - undecided. I’m not sure if I include romance at all. We will see.**

**5)Rated T for violence, swearing and puns. My change later.**

**6)Jaune will be experienced and well trained in this story - but not Op. He already activated his semblance, and its pretty much the same thing he has in cannon. I just took a … creative approach to what it might be able to do.**

**7)Oc’s - there will be few, but they won’t be too important for plot. They will pop from time to time to explain few AU elements, or as comedic relief. Main focus will be Jaune and rest of RWBy main cast.**

**8)If you like what you read, please consider visiting my patreon (pateron . com / Cr00cy)**

**Ok that is for now. Please like, suscribe, and all that jazz.**

 

 


	2. Grimm, Bears, and Dragons

**Welcome to ch 1 of The ProfessionARC. Made readable by JJD.**

 

**I do not own RWBY.**

 

**CH1**

 

Every ecosystem has an Apex predator.  Something that stands above the rest, something that brings order to the chaos. Take the Alpha Beowulf for instance:

 

It stands twice as tall as its more common brethren, it has claws and teeth that can cleave through flesh and steel with equal ease, it has limited intelligence that makes it far more dangerous than any physical advantage it has over other Beowolves, and it can run at incredible speeds.  

 

Our Alpha Beowulf is currently running at those speeds...our Alpha Beowulf is not currently the Apex predator.

 

The new Apex predator of the forest had appeared in a flurry of cold steel and colder rage. It had killed the Alpha’s pack. It had killed them with fire, it had killed them with choking gas, it had driven them into carefully laid traps. It was in hot pursuit of the Alpha now. There could be no question of who owned the forest.

 

The Alpha’s head whipped back and forth, its heightened senses trying to locate the new threat.

 

It didn’t have to look far. It skidded to a halt as its eyes fell upon the new predator, standing directly in its path.

 

The new Apex stood well short of the Alpha. It carried two blades, one out and gleaming, slick with the blood of its pack, and another still sheathed on its hip.  The new predator’s cloak billowed in the wind, pulling the hood off to reveal a crop of messy blond hair.

 

The Alpha growled and readied itself for the coming battle - there could only be one king of the forest.

 

Jaune Arc stood steady under the gaze of the creature - there could only be one king of the forest.

 

The Alpha roared as it shot forth, razor sharp claws extend and ready to rend the flesh of the usurper.  

 

_“Jaune, do you know the dumbest thing they teach people at combat prep schools?”_

 

Jaune stepped aside and let the assault flow by, blade cutting into the exposed flesh of the passing beast. Fear brought on the creature’s desperation, and desperation would get you killed, it had killed the pack.

 

“ _It’s that you should FIGHT Grimm.”_

 

The Alpha howled in agony and turned to kill it pursuer.

 

He was no longer there.

 

It buckled as it felt something bite into its leg, rendering the limb useless. It tried desperately to catch the boy with its claws or snapping maw. The young man danced, and blow after blow glided by as if predetermined by fate. The Apex was untouchable.

 

_“Now, now, don’t give me that look. I’m serious. You should never, EVER, try to fight Grimm”_

 

The new predator’s foot caught on something on the forest floor, its stance shifted, it hesitated for a moment. The Alpha knew this would be its best, and only chance to reclaim its throne.

 

_“What you should do…”_

 

The Alpha lunged, its maw gapping as it bore down on its now vulnerable assailant. It was met with a new piece of steel, this one halting the beast assault, as the shield slammed into the Beowulf’s skull. The Alpha was reeling, its limited mind searching for an escape, a way to stop the pain.

 

The Apex didn’t make it wait long.

 

_“... is kill them”_

 

Jaune’s blade sliced into, and through the Alpha’s throat, removing its head in a single stroke. He watched as the lifeless body fell at his feet and began to fade.

 

He spoke for the first time that night.

 

“What a pain in the ass.”

 

He looked towards nearby mountain, and barely visible cave

 

“Guess it’s time to finish this job.”

 

* * *

 

Jaune Arc stared at monster in front of him. He knew he couldn’t fight it - nor could he afford to run. He didn’t feel fear, but rather resignation. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t even be here - but he took the contract, and thus had to do the job. Running away now would be… unprofessional.

 

He sighed, looking over the beast again - its oval, relatively small head, when compared to rest of the body. Long wings, stretching almost 20 meters, and a big, round belly, that he knew he would see from inside soon enough. Just like the forty or so people behind him.

 

And just as the monstrosity let out mighty roar, and started to stir to life - a voice sounded. It was female, calm, sounded bored, and somehow, pleased at the same time, when it announced cruel fate of every person in this gathering:

 

“Passenger plane to Vale taking off in ten minutes. All passengers, please board the ship. I repeat, all passengers please board airship to Vale”

 

Jaune sighed again and followed the crowd to the boarding ramp. It’s not that he was afraid of flying - it was not a option in his line of business. He just didn’t really care for the experience. It might have something to do with his motion sickness. Sure, Aura helped a lot, as did his self-made herbal medicine, but still, it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

 

Taking a seat close to window, and on far end of plane, he took one last look at the town he spent the past few days in.

 

It was small, more of a village really, but it had bar, hospital (one with actual doctors, and decent equipment), and - what was perhaps the biggest surprise - a rather large library. The only reason it had airport, one with regular flights to and from Vale, was because area was quite pleasant, and relatively free of Grimm. This made it a popular resting spot for Vale’s middle and upper class. Jobs in this area were usually easy, and paid well - perfect for a lone freelancer like himself.

 

This had been one of those jobs - escorting some VIP family. Three day trip, relatively safe area, and the client covered the cost of lodging. Jaune smiled. They turned out to be very nice people. The biggest problem he encountered on the job was his client nine years old daughter. She was quite spoiled, but after some… negotiations she and Jaune had come to an understanding.

 

Sweets - they had yet to fail him.

 

_Heh, it’s almost like first time i met Samantha._ His eyebrows narrowed. _Come to think of it, I haven’t visited her in months._

 

On second day of his job he received the message from his old mentor. Apparently, he’d received the request from some old friend of his own, and couldn’t take it because he was already on the job in Atlas. Not wanting to leave his old pal to deal with some… _amateurs_ , he’d recommended Jaune.

 

“ _My friend will get an (almost) professional to help him, and my (former) student a good, legit job. Plus there will be a special bonus - just for you,”_ were his words _._ What this “special bonus” was supposed to be - he had no idea.

 

Jaune winced when plane took off. Aura, and his self-made medicine, worked in tandem to calm down his stomach, and bring the well-know agony to much more manageable levels. The flight to Vale would take around three hours. Not enough to catch any real sleep - something he often did to forget about his motion sickness - so instead, he decided to plan out his next steps.

 

He knew little about his new client - they exchanged only a few words through scroll (voice chat only at that), and besides a meeting place and time, he didn’t get anything from him. That wasn’t so strange - many people hiring freelance Hunters preferred to not say too much over scroll. You never knew who might be listening after all.

 

The voice on other end of call had been calm, pleasant, definitely male, and neither young or old. Jaune had no idea who man might be - his teacher didn’t see fit to include this little detail into their brief conversation - though he did see fit to complain how bad the weather in Atlas was this time of the year, and how expensive alcohol is in frontier villages.

 

Oh well, he would find out soon enough he supposed. The meeting was set in 2 days at a small restaurant on the outskirts of Vale. Jaune actually knew the place well - and had many fond memories of it. It was popular spot for business meetings, and resting spot for people travelling to and from Vale. He’d visited it often, back when he was still learning the ropes with his teacher. He smiled thinking back on it. Food was good, served in big portions, and at reasonable prices. The owner was a retired Hunter - still well known, and well connected, despite not being active for over a decade. Jaune really liked the man - not only for his vast knowledge about anything Hunter-related, but also for his dry, sarcastic humor. And his stories - can’t forget about those. Jaune spent many nights listening to the older man’s tales, sitting in front of fireplace, and sipping warm herbal tea his wife made.

 

He shook his head, breaking out of his reminiscing. He had planning to do.

 

They’d be in Vale in less than 2 hours. The meeting would be the day after tomorrow, 8 am at “Hunter’s Rest,” which meant he had about day and half for himself. So what did he need to do?

 

_First things first,_ he thought as he mentally ran through the checklist for “meeting with new client step-by-step guide,” his teacher had taught him.

 

_First - secure a resting place, food and drink._ Well that was easy - he had plenty of money from his last job. He could easily afford a decent hotel room for 2-3 days.

 

_Second - scout out the meeting place._ Another easy one. He knew “Hunter’s Rest” like the back of his hand - it being the go-to bar with his mentor. He had spent as much time, if not more, there by himself as well - he even worked there for a few months as part-timer during last winter.

 

_Third - learn as much as you can about client._  Ok, that one was going to be a bit harder. He had absolutely no idea who he would be meeting with. Nothing to even start investigating. _Oh well, I guess I will be going into it dark. Not first time - nor the last.”_

 

_Forth - have at least 3 different escape routes._ Jaune chuckled at that. He doubted he would be the one needing an escape route if things went south. Not only did the client come recommended from a… trustworthy... source, the owner of Hunter’s Rest really disliked people causing trouble in his establishment. Especially if it was towards people he considered friends. That, and the fact he still could beat an Ursa to death - sometimes _with_ another Ursa - added to the reasons why the place was so popular. People felt safe there.

 

_Fifth - be at meeting place at least half an hour before the appointed time._ Hmmm, how should he go about that one? There were no decent hotels close to the meeting place, but he could find something close to the airport and catch cargo bullhead going in that direction - most pilots wouldn’t mind picking him up for a few extra lien. Unfortunately, no buses were going in that direction so early.

 

_“Or,”_ Jaune thought ” _I could just crash at Old B’s place.”_

 

He smiled. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea. Not only would he sleep a little easier, but the food was better than any a hotel could provide, and he would be at meeting place _far_ before the client. Plus, Old B might know something about who he would be meeting, or even about the job itself.

 

_“That, and it would save me from trying to explain why I haven’t come to visit the moment I landed in Vale.”_ It’s not like he didn’t want to - quite the opposite. The old couple had basically adopted Jaune the moment he showed up at Hunter’s Rest, and became fast friends with rest of his family. Now every Arc child considered them their grandparents, and would often come to visit. But for Jaune it still felt a bit wrong to take advantage of them like that.  “ _Heh, the B’s would kick my ass for even thinking that.”_

 

With plan now formed, Jaune started to wonder what to do with all the free time he had left. There were still some supplies he needed to buy, but that would take only a moment. He could visit a bar for drink or two - but that might lead to some uncomfortable conversations if the owner decided to ask of his ID. He scoffed at that - yeah he was 17, so technically still a minor, but for fuck’s sake - if he was old enough to kill bloodthirsty monsters, hellbent on destroying all off man-and-fanuskind, he should be able to buy something a little stronger, right?  

 

“ _Nevermind, I bet B will share some of his…’special’ tea.”_ He immediately smiled at the idea. “Old’s B’s Special Strong Herbal Tea” was a little secret only a chosen few were privileged to. Oh sure, it was on the menu - but that was the regular version. The few who earned old’s man trust, and friendship, could sample the… _special…_ version.

 

Let’s just say there were less _“tea”_ , and more _“strong”_  and “ _herbal”_ in it _._

 

That Jaune not only was among the privileged ones - but also knew the recipe (and was the one who added “herbal” to it), was a secret kept even from the old man’s wife.

 

_“Heh, I wonder what would mom say if she knew what I’m using her lessons for.”_ Jaune’s mom - his actual one - was quite a skilled herbalist, able to make various medicines, teas, and cosmetics. To her (and his sisters’ - all seven of them) joy, young Jaune proved not only very interested in learning his mother’s craft, but also very talented.

 

He paused at the thought.

 

_“Come to think about it, I haven’t talked with my parents or sisters in a while. How long has it been - a month? Two? Maybe even more. They are probably starting to get worried.”_  

 

He briefly considered going to CCT tower immediately, but discarded the idea. He was starting to get hungry, and he knew for a fact talking with his family was never a short affair - he would have to assure every one of them that he was ok, he was eating well, wearing warm clothes, and not getting in more trouble than absolutely necessary. And with him wanting to hear all of the family updates - it was bound to take several hours.

 

_“I’ll do it tomorrow. Today I’ll buy what I need, go to Old’s B place, drop my stuff, see if he has any info on this job, then grab something to eat and call it a day. Tomorrow I’ll call the family. Maybe look for some souvenirs for girls? Haven’t visited home in almost half a year now - depending how this job turns out, I might be able to finish it quickly and then go home for few weeks.”_

 

With the plan now formed, he went into action. First supplies - it had taken him only a moment. He already knew where to look, and he didn’t need much - the last few jobs were surprisingly easy. Plus, he didn’t need that much in the first place - he felt like he was only one who didn’t have a weapon that was also a gun, so he didn’t need ammo. He wasn’t too dependant on Dust either.

 

Next was catching a ride to Hunter’s Rest. This would be a bit tricker - it was on opposite side of Vale - and outside its walls. Thankfully, he lucked out - there was a cargo bullhead heading that way, and the pilot - an old dog faunus Jaune that recognized as one of Hunter’s regulars - was all too happy to pick him up in exchange for help with loading and unloading cargo.

  


The trip took longer than he expected - the sun was already starting to set when they finally reached their destination. Jaune thanked the pilot for the ride, and took in his surroundings. A few wooden houses, surrounded by a sparse forest, a Police station, a small clinic, and the bullhead dock he just left. All of this surrounded by a solid, wooden palisade. Overall, the place looked like what someone who never left Vale would imagine a frontier town to be - close enough, but too lively, too clean, and with far better defenses. That’s why many people called it “Little Frontier” - despite it being only about hour walk from Vale.

 

Not wanting to waste any more time, he headed straight for Hunter’s Rest. It was big, 2 story building, made from wooden logs. The front wall was painted to depict hunting scenes - stylized Hunters fought with various Grimm - or animals. It was hard to tell sometimes. On both sides of solid, oak doors stood full-sized sculptures of Ursas. The beast were standing on their hind legs, holding a sign reading “Hunter’s Rest” in their outstretched paws.

 

Pushing the doors open, he entered the spacious, well lit room. Several round, wooden tables filled the room, many already occupied. He looked towards counter just as one of patrons called out.

 

“Hey, Tob! Give us another round of your special whisky!”

 

Behind the counter a gigantic frame rose up. Jaune smiled.

 

During his travels many times he had heard saying “bear of a man.” In his opinion there was no person in the world it was more fitting for than TOB - aka The Old Bear.

 

The man was - by any standard - gigantic. Well over 2 meters tall, with shoulders almost as broad. His massive arms were almost as thick as Jaune’s torso. A mantle of shoulder-length hair - once black, now mostly grey, was gathered in a ponytail. His massive beard however, was left untamed. Both his face (what little was visible over all the hair) and bare arms were covered in scars. He would probably be scary - if not for his mouth being stretched in friendly smile, and his gentle, brown eyes. The pair of bear ears poking out of his hair helped too. Overall, he looked like someone wanted to design the most stereotypical bandit leader ever, but then at last second, went for good-natured grandpa.

 

“Still serving this Ursa piss and calling it whisky Tob? Shame on you.” Jaune called.

 

Far faster than someone that big should be able to, Tob whipped around. His smile grew even wider when he saw young Huntsman.

 

“Jaune! My boy!” he called, rushing towards new guest. “Mei! Come here - see who come with visit!”

 

And as female figure walked out of kitchen, her face brightening in a motherly smile, Jaune had only one thought in his head

 

_“Yeh, coming here was definitely a good idea.”_

* * *

  


_“Maybe.. it… was.. not...the...best..idea.”_ He thought a few seconds later, legs and arms flailing uselessly, Aura desperately trying to prevent his ribs from shattering under the pressure of the older man’s hug.

 

“Dear, let him go. He needs to breath,” Mei called. Jaune stumbled, and coughed few times as he was released from this loving deathgrip - only to be immediately pulled into another, much gentler hug.

 

“It’s good to see you again, sweetie”. Said Mei, squeezing him lightly. “We missed you.”

 

Jaune smiled and squeezed back.

 

“Yeah, I missed you too.”

 

As they pulled apart, Jaune took in the woman before him.

 

Mei was not someone who you would call beautiful woman - not in traditional sense. Not in her younger days (if many photographs of her and her husband littering walls were anything to go by), nor now, when she was nearing the seventh decade of her life. What always surprised Jaune was how little she actually changed over the years - sure, she had more wrinkles, and her hair had more gray in it now, rather than the platinum-blond of her youth, but she could easily be mistaken for several years younger.

 

She wasn’t short - tough she looked it when she was standing near her husband (but then, everyone looked small when standing near Tob) -  the top of her head was about eye level with Jaune. Her dark green eyes, always shining with mirth, her almost perfectly round face, with a gentle smile almost always present, her round frame, covered in a simple green dress, and pink apron with image of teddy bear and reading “Free Hugs” (and Jaune knew she was perfectly happy to give hug to anyone who wanted) - all of which made her look like living definition of grandmother. And she was - for just about anyone who visited Hunter’s Rest. It wasn’t uncommon for regulars (especially younger ones) to call her such too.

 

“Come to the kitchen, I just finished preparing rabbit stew, and the first batch of meat dumplings should be about ready. I also have some fresh bread. Oh, and there should be a few bottles of that blackberry juice you like so much. Would you like some soup first? I have beef and vegetable, and chicken too. What would you like for dessert? I have...”

 

Jaune smiled at the tyrade - it was almost the same every time he came to visit, whether a week or a month has passed. He knew Mei loved to cook, and loved seeing people enjoy her cooking even more. Doubly so if said people were family - which was the same as his real mother, and one of reasons two women became such good friends.

 

He also knew that if he didn’t do something she WILL make him as much food as she thinks he needs (so enough to last him for about a week) - and she WILL make him eat all of it. He really didn’t want to impose - especially now, that he knew the rush hour was approaching.

 

_“Ok, I will politely refuse the meal, at least most of it. No way in hell I’m passing on her dumplings. I know she just likes doing it, but I can’t have her overwork herself on my behalf. Plus I don’t want to die from overeating -that would be embarrassing.”_

 

So he took a few deep breaths, shot Tob an annoyed glare (bastard was just standing there, smiling) and, when Mei was considering whether to serve baked salmon before or after dumplings, he made to speak.

 

“Hey Me..” stone-cold, green eyes zeroed on him instantly ”...mom…” the green orbs softened again.

 

“Yes, sweetie?”

 

“I don’t wa..” Dual green daggers stabbed through his eyes straight into his soul, promising unimaginable suffering if he dared to continue, ”..haven’t washed myself yet”

 

What? One doesn’t simply say “I’m not that hungry” to grandmother.

.

Two green pools, gentle like spring grass, widened a little.

 

“Oh, right! What was I thinking? You must be really tired after traveling all the way here. Go to your room, wash yourself and get changed. I’ll make you something to eat. Did you fly in on a bullhead?” Jaune nodded. “Oh you poor thing! Then your stomach must be killing you!”

 

Jaunes eyes widened. Could it be? Would he be saved from this unwinnable battle? And by his bitter enemy, no less?

 

“I will make you some barley soup - it’s good for upset stomach.”

 

“How about dumplings?” Jaune interjected

 

“No, I made them spicy this time, they will just upset your stomach. I’ll give you some of this stew too - it shouldn’t be too heavy. What else? Maybe I’ll..”

 

As Mei continued her musings, Jaune sighed and walked towards his room.

 

_“I guess no victory comes without cost. But just you wait, Mei’s special meat dumplings - I’ll get you one day!”_

* * *

 

His room - and it still felt awkward to call it that, even after nearly two years - wasn’t big. A single-person bed and nightstand, a simple desk under the only window in the room, a wardrobe, and a few wall-mounted shelves with books and various souvenirs from his many travels. A single door on right side leading to the bathroom, which itself was small - toilet, single closet with towels and basic cosmetics, sink and shower cabin - something Jaune was all too eager to use.

 

_“Living in the wilds is nice and all, but civilization have its perks.”_ He mused, as hot water washed over him, taking dirt and fatigue with it.

 

He washed himself quickly, but spent a few more minutes just relaxing.

 

_“Well, enough is enough. I really need to talk to Tob, and would prefer to catch him before the place fills up.”_  He thought, as he left the shower and started drying himself.

 

He made his way to the wardrobe, and as he was pulling on a pair of jeans and hoodie, he noticed another familiar piece of clothing.

 

“ _Or I could just help them out, and we can talk later.”_ He mused pulling out his old waiter uniform.

 

Jaune smiled. He remembered fondly his time working as both busboy and bartender over the past winter. It had turned out he was rather skilled at the latter.

 

“ _Hmm, cooking, herbalism, making drinks…. Looks like I’m have a talent for mixing things”_

 

A few moments later, fully suited, he made his way towards main hall.

 

Tob broke out in a grin when he spotted him.

 

“What’s this, Jaune? Did you got bored of this Hunter stuff and decided to finally embrace your true calling?”

 

“Nah, just got sick of seeing you fumble around with those glasses. Thought this place could use another professional. Mei can’t do everything by herself.”

 

“Ha! You better go to kitchen first - unless you want her to drag you there and spoon-feed you.”

 

Jaune laughed, but it was a bit forced. He full well knew that Mei both could, and would, do so.

 

Jaune rushed over to help Mei clear another table before seeing her start to wave him off.

 

“We need you behind the bar! It’s a madhouse!” She warned.

 

He nodded and quickly took his tray of dishes and weaved around the patrons to get behind the bar.  He set the items down in the sink and began washing his hands.

 

_It doesn’t look that busy back here._

 

“Strawberry Sunrise please.” He heard a voice call from behind him.

 

“Coming right up!” He called as he turned. When he wheeled around, he was confronted with one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. She had long, flowing blond hair, glittering lilac eyes, a cocky smile, and generous...assets.

 

He was immediately suspicious, and a glance over the girl’s shoulder confirmed his suspicions. Mei stood across the bar floor, almost directly behind the girl, and was giving him a double thumbs up and an excited smile.

 

_Dammit Mei._

 

“Uh, hello?” The girl asked, waiving a hand in front of his face.

 

He snapped back to reality. “Sorry about that! Got distracted for a second.”

 

She smirked. “I have that effect on guys.”

 

“I’ll bet.” He answered reflexively.

 

_Shit! What did I just say?_

 

Her smile widened. “Bold, Ladykiller.”

 

He flashed her a smile as he began mixing her drink.

 

_What do I say!?_

 

“Aren’t you a little young to be bartending?” She asked.

 

“I’m an...old soul.” He managed to force out, as he placed the drink in front her.

 

“So does the old soul have a name?” She asked, leaning in.

 

Mei was frantically pointing at the girl , ignoring all the patrons around her.

 

_What the hell is she saying?_

 

“Ladies first.” He guessed.

 

“Ooohh. A gentleman huh? That’s rare. And charming. Name’s Yang, Ladykiller.”

 

Mei was mouthing ‘she’s thirsty’ behind her.

 

_I just gave her a drink!_

 

He held out a hand. “Jaune. What brings you to the Rest?”

 

“I’m looking for someone.”

 

Mei started pointing at Jaune.

 

_Me?_

 

“Is it me?”

 

She whistled. “You come on strong. Tall, blond, and lean...I like it.”

 

_What is happening right now?!_

 

She continued. “But no, I’m looking for a Huntress.” She held up a photo of a woman with long black hair, and cold, hard eyes. “Raven Branwen. Heard of her?”

 

He took a moment to scan over the photo, then shook his head.

 

“Sorry, can’t say I have. I haven’t been around here for very long, been out in the boonies.”

 

Yang studied his face for a moment, looking for some indication of deceit.

 

Mei was frantically waving her hand in a circle, urging him to continue.

 

_What do I say?_

 

“Uhhh...I could ask Tob though. He’s the owner, knows just about everyone.”

 

Her smile returned. “Awww, thanks Ladykiller, I appreciate it. Guess you’ll just have to keep me company till then.”

 

_Fuck._

 

Mei was doing a jig in the background.

 

_I’ve got nothing, what would dad say?_

 

“Well, dad always told me never to disappoint a pretty lady.” He tried hesitantly.

 

She giggled. “Smart man. You a family type of guy?”

 

He rolled his eyes. “You have no idea. I have seven sisters.”

 

“SEVEN?!” She exclaimed.

 

He chuckled. “Yeah, how I feel about it varies from day to day. How about you? Any siblings?”

 

“Just the one sister thankfully. Ruby’s enough work on her own, I don’t know how you handle seven.” She shook her head.

 

“Very, very carefully.” He replied with a grin. He spied her gauntlets. “You a Huntress?”

 

“In training.” Yang replied proudly, holding up Ember Cecila. “You’re pretty perseptive, you sure you're just a barkeep?”

 

_How do I explain…_

 

“Just helping out around the bar for Tob, I’m actually here to meet a client.”

 

_That seems safe enough._

 

Yang leaned in with interest. “Oh? What do you do?”

 

Mei was making flexing motions in the background.

 

_She wants me to brag._ He thought annoyedly.

 

He decided to ignore her unsolicited advice.

 

“Just odd jobs, varies from client to client.” He tried.

 

Yang’s eyes lit up. “Man of mystery huh? That just makes it more fun, I’ll find out eventually.”

 

_How?! Why?!_

 

She pulled herself across the bar, giving him a rather generous view. “What are you hiding Ladykiller?” She teased.

 

He felt heat rising in his cheeks.

 

_Someone save me!_

 

“What are you up to over here Jaune?” A familiar voice boomed.  “Oh, sweet talking the ladies again?”

 

_Thank God for Tob!_

 

“Tob! Glad you’re here! Yang was looking for someone, and was hoping that you could help.” He spat out quickly.

 

Yang’s attention immediately shifted as she pulled up the photo again. “Have you seen this Huntress? Her name is…”

 

“Raven.” Tob interjected, then shook his head slowly. “Not for a long time now, no. Hell, I think she was still on team STRQ when I saw her last. Not sure what she’s been up to since.”

 

Yang’s shoulders fell.

 

_I should say something._

 

“We’ll keep an ear to the ground though, let you know if we hear anything.” Jaune heard himself saying.

 

_Why mouth!?_

 

Yang brightened again. “Thanks Ladykiller!” She shot him a wink. “Got to meet you, so I guess it wasn’t a total waste.”

 

Her grin only widened when she saw him blush.

 

She grabbed a pen from behind the bar and scribbled a number on a napkin.

 

“Here’s my number in case you hear anything. Or....” She drawled. “If you just want to show a lady a good time.”

 

He was having an internal meltdown.

 

“Will do.” Someone who sounded like him said.

 

“Just don’t keep me waiting.” She said as her stood up. “See you around Ladykiller.” She winked at him as she walked away, a little extra sway in her hips.

 

Mei was soundlessly screaming ‘GGGOOOOAAAALLLL’ in the background.

 

Jaune numbly stared at the number on the napkin, trying to process what just happened. He felt a giant arm wrap around him from the side.

 

“You had no idea what you were doing, did you ‘Ladykiller’?”

 

Jaune just shook his head slowly.

 

The older man laughed. “It’s ok son, no one ever does.”

* * *

 

Jaune loosened his tie, and let out a tired, but satisfied sigh. Hunter’s Rest was packed tonight - as expected on a Friday night. Jaune had spent nearly 6 hours behind bar, serving drinks, and entertaining guests with tall tales of his travels. It was exhausting - but as he sat with Tob in his office, with cup of herbal tea (a regular one - they didn’t dare open the special when Mei was around), he couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to see people having a good time, simply enjoying each others’ company.

 

Not throwing a celebration because some eldritch abomination that terrorized their village was finally dealt with. Those cheers were tainted with sadness - since there was always less voices cheering than there should be.

 

“So, you wanted to talk about something?”

 

Jaune shook off this morbid thoughts and turned to the older man.

 

“Yeah, it’s about job I got recently.”

 

“The one your pathetic excuse of a teacher was supposed to do, but was too busy chasing skirts in Atlas?”

 

“You know about it?”

 

“Yeah, he actually called a few days ago…”

 

Jaune waited for a moment for Tob to continue, but the older man looked lost in thought.

 

“Sooo… Can you tell me anything about client? Or the job itself?”

 

“Not really. All I know is that he’s someone well-known and respected in Vale.” Was the older man quick response.

 

Too quick.

 

Jaune’s eyes narrowed.

 

_“Old Bastard knows something, and doesn’t want to tell.”_

 

“Well, I guess I will meet him tomorrow. Do you at least know what he looks like?”

 

“Only that he’s a middle-aged man. Guy’s really mysterious. But I can assure you that the job is legit - it went through the Company.”

 

The Worldwide Independent Taskforce Company was an institution founded just a few years ago. In the beginning, they were just a small group of people looking for qualified low level personnel for larger companies - miners, truck drivers, construction workers, that sort of thing. Then they grew, branched out, and before anyone knew it, they were a worldwide company hiring hundreds of people, with an office in every big city, and strong connections within every government.

 

Nowadays, it was common knowledge that if you were a freelancer of any kind, and you weren’t registered with the Company - you were doing it wrong.

 

Part of the reason they were so popular, was because they always made sure that the offered contracts were legit, and people taking them suitably qualified. After all, there is nothing worse than paying hundreds of lien for a Hunter - only to get kid who barely knew how to use a weapon, or sign up for extermination mission - only to find out that client forgot a few zeros in “Estimated Grimm number” column.

 

Jaune paused to think about it. If the job was approved by the Company, it meant it was safe and the client could be trusted. It wasn’t that uncommon for influential people looking to hire independent Hunters to want to remain incognito. Usually, they were either presidents of large companies wanting to clear some Grimm discreetly (because their security wasn’t enough, they fucked something up, or they didn’t want the competition to know what they are doing), or politicians - wanting pretty much the same, for pretty much the same reasons.

 

_“So I don’t have to worry about being scammed. It also means I might not be meeting with guy himself, but a representative from the Company. Hmm…that might be even better. Those folks aren’t very talkative, but will give me all the info I need without any useless bulshit. I don’t really need to know who client is anyway, as long as I’m getting paid.”_

 

Yeah, the job being approved by the Company solved a lot of problems. But also raised some questions.

 

For instance - how did Tob know about it? Yes, he was a registered Company member, and a quite a well-known one at that - in fact, it wasn’t uncommon for him to organize meetings.

 

But at the same time, the Company made it a point to involve as few people in its dealings as possible. After all, most of their clients valued discretion and Tob didn’t need to know who would be meeting who, to keep a free table open in one of his quieter corners. Hell, he even had a few soundproofed rooms just for meetings like this.

 

Yes, Tob had said it was his teacher who called him and told him about the deal, but Jaune knew it was uncommon for his master to involve more people than necessary in business dealings. Especially for transferring jobs.

 

And then there was the biggest question.

 

“ _Why me? Sure, he said he couldn’t make it, but since it was clearly a Named request, company wouldn’t simply agree to hand the job to someone else - even if master recommended me.”_

 

Named request referred to fairly new service the Company offered. Normally, a client would submit a request, with a detailed explanation of what he wanted done. Then the Company would look for a suitable candidate among registered members - or looked for them outside, if no one suitable could be found within their ranks. If there were multiple candidates, they would select the most promising ones - and if there still were more than they needed, they would allow the client to pick who they wanted.

 

Named request meant a client requested person by name. The Company would still run their own check to see if person was suited for task - and would inform both parties if they decided they were not. However, if both of them agreed to it - the contract would still be formed.

 

Only the most trusted clients were allowed to make named requests.

 

Also, it was very rare to transfer such a job. Especially considering how much more experienced his teacher was. There were many Hunters far better than Jaune that could take this job - and his master could refer any of his long-time friends.

 

_“Plus this ‘special bonus’ business. This doesn’t make sense. There are so many better Hunters in Vale, and I don’t have some crazy powerful or unique semblance, so…”_

 

Then an idea struck him

 

_“Or… they might not be looking for regular Huntsman. This might be … the other kind of job.”_

 

Yeah, that made much more sense. Jaune’s master had some very… unusual skill sets, very suitable for less… official kinds of jobs. And, on Jaune’s request, had taught him much of his craft. Sure, normal Hunters could probably do what Jaune could, but he would do it with more… efficiency. Faster, cleaner… more professional.

 

_“Oh well, no need to overthink things. I’ll find out everything at the meeting anyway.”_

 

He turned back to Tob.

 

“Well, I guess I’ll learn everything soon enough.”

 

“Yeah. Anyway, what are your plans for tomorrow?”

 

“Call my family, back in SIlver Lake. Maybe do some shopping, buy some souvenirs. Was thinking about visiting them after this job, haven’t been home in a while.”

 

“Heh, good idea. They actually stayed here for a few days. Had you come week earlier, you would have caught them. Oh, that reminds me! Cere called two days ago, said one of her friends broke it off with her asshole-of-a-boyfrend, and…”

 

“And I’m going to stop you right there. I can imagine what the rest of the message is.”

 

Cere - a year younger than him, made it her personal mission to find a suitable girlfriend for her beloved older brother. So far he managed to stay single, but his sister was relentless.

 

Now, don’t get him wrong - he wanted a girlfriend, he was healthy 17-year old boy after all. But he still had so much to learn, and really liked his life of freelancer hunter. Traveling for weeks, camping in forests, visiting new places. Meeting new people.

 

Tasting new foods.

 

Slaying many different kinds of Grimm.

 

Those were some of the greatest pleasures in his life.

 

Jaune smiled at the thought. He could almost feel the cold morning fog, smell the forest after a hard rain, hear the sound of wood crackling in the fireplace. Yeah, he caught a case of wanderlust not long after he met his master - and probably wouldn’t be getting better anytime soon.

 

Unfortunately, this didn’t leave much time for romance. While being a Hunter was worth a few cool points - he never stayed in one place for long enough to form a relationship. Plus, there really wasn’t much for him to talk about with civilian girls his age. He somehow doubted they would be interested in subjects such as how to best deal with a Beowolf pack led by an Alpha, or the weak points of a Boaratusk.

 

It was the strange tone in Tob’s voice that caught his attention.

 

“This time it’s a bit different.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“They broke up because she and Cere saw him getting… friendly… with Rubin.”

 

Rubin, 14-years old, was third oldest of Jaune sisters.

 

A few seconds passed in silence. When Jaune spoke again, his voice was perfectly calm, a small smile plastered on his lips.

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

A few more moments passed with only the sound of the crackling fireplace.

 

Jaune finished his drink, carefully placing the cup on the table and reached towards older man.

 

Tob took out a grey envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket and placed it in Jaune’s hand.

 

Jaune slowly opened it and took out its contents.

 

There were 10 photographs inside.

 

One of them featured a middle-aged couple. Judging by clothing and jewelry, they had to be someone wealthy.

 

The rest of them featured the same young man. Or rather a boy - he couldn’t be more than 17 or 18. Black, slicked back hair, expensive looking suit - a different one in every photo - what looked like a gold wristwatch. A golden necklace. In one of the photos he was getting in a very expensive car. Judging by his appearance, he was the son of older couple - and an annotation on the back confirmed this.

 

On every photo he was accompanied by a cleary younger girl.

 

On 3 of them it was Cere’s friend.

 

On 5 others - some brunette he didn’t recognize.

 

The last one was Rubin - and he was touching her in very… well, he was touching her.

 

If the dates on every photo were to be believed, all of them were taken in a single week.

 

“I… see.”

 

“Old friend of mine works as long-range air transport pilot. Has a flight tomorrow, around 8 p.m. He is delivering some food supplies to a mining colony near Mt. Red. Says the weather’s bad and he might have to make detour to the east.”

 

“Big?”

 

“Big.”

.

.

.

 

“Enough to fly close to Silver Lake?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

No more words were exchanged between two men that night. There was no need.

  


**Cr00cy: Well here it is. Official launch of TPA. Introducing first AU element- The Company. How big an impact it will it have on the story? Well, only one way to find out. Also, I think I should mention that first three chapters could be considered the intro - most, if not all Au elements would be at least mentioned in this chapters.**

**Tob and Mei would be most active OCs in this story - Leon probably never appears “on screen”, but will be mentioned a lot. Samantha... Well Samantha has special role in this story - she had very big impact on Jaune. So here is a bit of omake/character short for her.**

 

**Speaking of omakes - unless said otherwise, you can assume that they are cannon to the story.**

 

**JJD: Cr00cy: Hey JJD, do you want to write some Yang?**

**JJD: You mean my female doppelganger? Do I!?**

* * *

 

**Samantha pt1 - first meeting.**

 

“Jaune this is Samantha Birger.” Said Victoria Arc pointing at little girl next to her. “I hope you will take good care of her, while we’re gone?”

 

“Of course mom” Answered the eleven years old boy.

 

“Vi, do you really think this is good idea? Leaving so many small kids alone? I know your Jaune is responsible, but he’s just a kid too…” Said the red-haired woman standing in the door of the house.

 

Jaune did his best to not glare at her.

 

_Oh, I’m sorry miss what was that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of the SIX GIRLS I HELPED RAISE._

 

He kept smiling, but scoffed internally. There were few thing he could be really proud of - the fact he was basically the man of the house, helping his mother with her business, AND raising six younger sisters, was one of them. That’s why people questioning his ability to take care of young children - especially girls - were one of very few things that could make him angry.

 

_I mean, it’s not like I spent over half of my life taking care of children…_

 

“Don’t worry Astrid. He has a lot of experience.”

 

_Yeah, you tell her mom…_

 

“He’s better at it than Arthur!”

 

_That’s… not really saying much, you know?_

 

“If you say so... “ Astrid still didn’t looked convinced, but nodded and left

 

Astrid Birger and her husband Asger, were old friends of his parents. Both were Hunters, and traveled often. Whenever they could, they took their only daughter with them. They had called a few days prior, informing them that they would be in Silver Lake - and decided to meet up. After some negotiations, Jaune agreed to take care of Samantha while adults went to… do whatever they were going to do. He didn’t asked for details.

 

After they left, he took Samantha to the living room, and introduced her to his sisters. After making sure all the females were getting along just fine (well, they didn’t looked like they wanted to start kill each other) Jaune excused himself, and went to the kitchen. He would peek out from time to time, just to make sure nothing happened. Around half a hour later, his preparations were complete.

 

“Girls, mind if I borrow Samantha for a bit?” He said, walking into living room. His sisters and his newest charge, looked to actually be getting along well.

 

After getting their permission, he led the young girl to the kitchen.

 

_All right, let’s get this show started._

 

“Ok Samantha,” he said after she sat down in the chair he pointed at. “There are a few things we need to discus, and a few rules to set.” He sat in the chair on the opposite side of dining table.

 

She glared at him. Well tried at least. It wasn’t very effective.

 

“I can take care of myself.”

 

_Of course she can…_

 

“I’m sure you can. But I promised both of our parents that I would look out for you - so that is what I’m gonna do. We can do it hard way, or easy way, and I will come out on top either way. Trust me on that - I have a lot of experience.” He said, pointing towards the living room.

 

She nodded.

 

“So here are rules: You will remain in the house. If you want to go out - it’s only with me accompanying you. You do what I say, when I say. If a problem arises with one of my sisters - you come to me with it, and I’ll solve it. If you follow these rules, and won’t try do do something stupid I can promise I won’t interfere with whatever you’re doing, so long as it’s nothing dangerous.”

 

He got up and went towards one of cabinets.

 

“If you cooperate.” He said, pulling something out of it, and turning towards Samantha.

 

She gasped.

 

_Bingo. Knew it would work._

 

“There will be some benefits for you too.”

 

His father was always saying that ‘all one needs to deal with women is confidence’. While it wasn’t bad advice, Jaune had found a much better way.

 

“So, what do you say Samantha, you think you can follow the rules?”

 

She nodded energetically.

 

Jaune smiled, and pushed the plate of freshly baked muffins towards her.

 

_Sweets. What would I have done without you?_

  
  
  
  
  



	3. The Profession

**AN: Welcome to second chapter of TPA! JJD ensured its readable.**

' _Well, a warm bed is a warm bed,'_ thought Jaune, stretching out.

He liked sleeping under the blue sky - he really did, but a little change was nice from time to time. He opened the window, and took a deep breath of cold, morning air. It was still gray-ish outside - sun only beginning to rise. The whole town seemed to be asleep.

_Now, what to do? Go back to bed? Nah, won't be able to sleep anyway. Mei and Tob are probably still asleep, no need to wake them up. Guess I'll just work out for a bit._

He quickly put his clothing and armor on, then strapped on Crocea Mors. Picked up his other sword, hesitated for a moment, then strapped it on too.

Then he jumped out of the window. The second floor wasn't that high for Hunter - he was used to jumping, and falling, from much higher.

He landed with a roll, and used the momentum from the fall to push himself up and sprint ahead.

He briefly considered going through the gate, but discarded the idea. It would be closed, and he didn't want to scare the guards - an armed hunter running somewhere at full speed usually meant bad news.

Instead, he ran to the opposite side, towards a big chestnut tree. He jumped, landed feet-first at the massive trunk, and pushed out towards palisade, grabbed the lip, and pulled himself over the top. There he paused for a moment, to check if there were any surprises on the other side.

If he could help it, Jaune always checked what was on the other side of a wall he was jumping over. He'd learned that lesson the hard way.

Judging the area to be sufficiently secure, he jumped off, repeating his roll landing-into-sprint motion. He settled into a comfortable peace - one he could keep up for hours if need be.

His mind wandered as he ran.

Overall, Jaune Arc was satisfied with his current life. He liked to travel - and he traveled a lot. He got a chance to practice both his parents' crafts - and turned out to be rather good at both of them. He helped his fair share of people too.

He slowed down to jog as he entered a small clearing, and took in his surroundings. It was a nice place - around twenty meters of space, mostly free of trees, with relatively even ground, covered in a batch of short grass. Jaune closed his eyes, focusing on the sensations. The sound of wind whistling through leaves, singing of birds, the first rays of sun coming through the branches, the ever-present smell of forest.

Jaune smiled.

_Only thing that could make this better..._

He spun to the right, drawing his family blade. With the same motion, he brought it down on the neck of Beowolf who lunged at him from behind.

_...would be some Grimm to kill._

He thought, finishing his spin and standing face-to-face with five more beasts. Judging by the small amount of bone-white plating, they were young ones. The way they all charged without even trying to surround him, only proved their stupidity.

Jaune stepped out of the way of the first one's lunge, blocked second's strike with his shield, and ducked under the third's swipe while countering with a stab in the gut.

Then he jumped to the left and rolled, avoiding the forth one's charge.

He ducked, avoiding a second lunge from first beast, but this time lashed out with his sword,

cutting off its arm. The fifth one jumped at him, but was stopped by a shield to the face. It fell, and struggled to rise.

It didn't help that it was now missing a leg.

Jaune jumped back as he took next blow square on his shield, using the added momentum to put some distance between him and the Grimm.

_Two down, four to go. Two healthy, one-leg still learning how to stand. One-hand…_ was currently jumping at him, wanting to get a taste of the blond human. It received cold steel instead, when Crocea Mors' blade stabbed through the roof of its mouth.

_Three to go…_

The remaining beasts hesitated, slowly realizing that the lone human might not be such an easy target after all. One-leg settled for dropping on all three remaining limbs, and growling at him menacingly, while the second, still healthy, beast stood on its hind legs, trying to look as imposing as possible.

_How predictable…_

Jaune charged at full speed, both beast in front of him doing the same. He sidestepped the healthy one, cutting at its leg. Crippled, yet still carried by momentum, the Grimm sailed past him - and collided with the one who circled behind him earlier. Jaune continued his charge, caught One-Leg's swipe on his his shield, and buried his blade into its gut.

He spun, his sword easily tearing through the Grimm's body. His shield catching, and knocking the last healthy Grimm paw away. Cold steel bit into beast's left hip, cutting through its stomach, chest and finally exiting from the right shoulder.

The Grimm stayed still for a moment, looking surprised of all things. Then uneven parts fell apart, revealing the last beast already mid-attack. It had come low, aiming to bite off the teen's leg. Jaune's boot met Beowolf face, breaking its jaw, and driving the beast's head into the dirt. It tried to get up, to maybe get one last attack in, at the very least draw blood from the human that killed its whole pack. Cold steel pierced through its skull, ending its struggles.

Sheathing his sword, Jaune analized the fight.

_Well, I picked as good terrain as I could._

He rolled his shoulders, trying to relax his muscles.

_As for the fight itself… Probably could ease up on the baiting - that could easily go south if my timing was off. But then I managed to spread them out a bit, so they couldn't swarm me. A bit too much spinning…_

He massaged his sore left arm.

_And have to work on my shield play. A few of those bashes didn't connected as well as they should… and that last block was rather sloppy._

He paused and looked over the now decaying corpses.

_Could probably have taken out One-hand on his first charge… or second if I aimed better. Maybe it would have been better to try and intercept that one who circled behind me? It was rather slow for a Beowolf…_

He thought about it for a seconds, then shook his head.

_Nah, I'm not that fast, the other two would have caught up to me, and it's better to have one Grimm behind you than two._

Jaune nodded to himself. Overall the fight went well. He'd noticed the pack following him around twenty minutes after leaving Little Frontier, and led them to wide open area (well, as wide and open as one could find in the middle of the forest), with a clear and relatively even ground to minimize his chances of slipping on something. The fight itself was rather quick, he didn't made too many mistakes, and the ones he had were minor, and more of not being as efficient as possible than anything else.

_I'm can do this. I AM doing this. I'm getting stronger._

Jaune Arc liked fighting. Maybe even loved it. The rush of adrenaline, the danger, the elation of victory - it all was intoxicating. But there were one more thing Jane was getting out of every fight - something much more valuable.

A sense of progress.

Every fight made him faster, stronger, more perceptive. Every Grimm slain made killing the next one easier, every won battle made next one go smoother and faster.

And ever since Leon organized that meeting one year ago, even losses in occasional spars made him happy - because they were proof that there was still room for improvement. That he could still get better - and thus help more people.

_Well, I better start heading back. Mei and Tob should be up soon, and I still have to call my family._

He started running back at a much faster pace than before. Normally, he wouldn't have done so, as it meant making more noise, a potential ambush would be harder to react to in time, and he would be more tired than necessary. But the area was relatively safe, and he was sure he could deal with anything that came his way.

* * *

Jaune was in distress.

_This is… bad._

He'd made a mistake and found himself in this situation. Only two choices left, and both of them would leave him with regrets, and no one to blame but himself.

_I could just pull back… but I know I would regret this now. If I carry on - I'll sure as hell regret this later._

In the end it was his teacher's words that helped him make his decision.

" _Listen, Jaune. Sometime a man has do do something, even if he knows full well it won't end well for him."_

Jaune actually smiled at the memory - and how similar his current situation was to the one when he heard those words.

So he took deep breath, steeled his resolve and spoke the words that sealed his fate.

"Yes, please."

Mei smiled and placed another serving of dumplings on his plate.

"So, you are going to Vale now?" She asked.

Jaune noded.

"Yeah, need to buy a few more things, and visit the Company office - see if there are any messages for me. Probably call my family - haven't heard from them in a while."

"You should visit them soon." She suggested.

"I know. That's the plan - after the next job I'll go to Silver Lake for few days."

Mei noded, and Jaune finished his breakfast. He checked his scroll - it was 8:12.

_Well, I guess it's time to go to Vale._

He quickly washed the plate and fork he was using and headed to the exit. On his way out, he shook hands with Tob, and gave Mei a goodbye kiss on the cheek. When he reached the door she called to him.

"Will you be back in time for dinner?"

"Probably not. I want to wander around Vale for a bit, maybe visit some clubs. Haven't been in a proper city in ages"

Mei looked worried.

"You sure? There are a lot of robberies going in the city as of late. What if you run in some riff-raff?"

Jaune rolled his eyes.

"Then I'll beat them up. I've been fighting Grimm and bandits for a while now - I can deal with thief or two. Or at very last - outrun them."

Mei still looked worried. Jaune sighed.

"Or I could just tell them they would have to deal with you if they don't leave me alone."

Mei smiled at that and nodded. Jaune smiled too. He didn't know why this particular promise always put the older woman at ease - but it worked.

_Probably,_ he mused,  _because dealing with Mei would mean dealing with Tob._

She walked up to him, and handed him a small wrapped bundle.

"Hand this over to Jaff for me, ok?"

"Sure."

Finally leaving Hunter's Rest, Jaune made his way towards the main gate. He briefly considered catching a bullhead - but discarded the idea. It was a nice day, and he didn't have to hurry anywhere.

Only after passing through the gate did he realize he missed something important. He had no idea where to find this Jaff guy. Or even who he was. Sure, he knew a few regulars by this name, but which one had Mei ment?

Just when he was about to turn back, he got an idea. He reached to his pocket, pulling small piece of paper Tob handed him when they shook hands. There was address on it - no doubt where the plane he mentioned last night would take off. There was also the name of the pilot.

' _Jaff Tagar'. Heh, should have known B wouldn't be able to keep it secret._

* * *

_Three days earlier_

Tob was inspecting the man in sitting in chair in front of him. He was a Hunter, quite good one, if memory served right. With a massive sword strapped to his back, a vast collection of scars and eyepatch he probably would looked intimidating to most people. Now though? There were three reason he didn't.

One - he was sitting near Tob - this made him about as intimidating as puppy.

Two - he was holding cup of hot chocolate with a drawing of cute little teddy-bear and reading "hug me."

Three - he was pale like death itself, and was shaking violently.

Tob's brow furrowed at that. From what he knew, the man hadn't done anything wrong. He came in a bit late, said he had some important info, and now here they were.

He shot quick glance to his wife. She was sitting in her favorite rocking chair, looking over the contents of the grey envelope the man had brought with him. Judging from her reaction - or rather lack of any - it wasn't anything too shocking.

_Are those.. Photos?_

He could barely see some faces… but no one important from what he could tell.

He looked at the man again. With each photo Mei put away, he looked like year of his life was shaved away.

_Maybe he realised what he has is not THAT important? But he wouldn't be that nervous if that was it._

He looked back to Mei just as she looked at the last photo.

Her free hand met her cheek, and a smile appeared on her lips. One that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Oh my, oh my." She said with sweet voice. The man in front of Tob looked like he seriously considered committing suicide with the cup he was holding.

"Dear come here, take look at this."

He took a closer look at photo she was holding. There were two people in it.

The girl he recognized instantly - Rubin looked as cheerful as ever, no doubt talking with some f…

Corpse. Yes, other person was walking corpse. Or maybe not? He would decide whether or not he let him die at later date. Now there were some... arrangements to be made. The photo was taken at Silver Lake - he recognized the buildings in the background. It was three days old, but that shouldn't be too much of problem.

"You did well, bringing this to my attention young man," said Mei.

The man in the chair visibly relaxed. He even took one bear-shaped cookie from a nearby plate.

Tob took the envelope, packed all the photos back inside, and made towards the door.

"There is just one more thing I would like to know sweety…"

Tob left the room. Last thing he heard before he closed the doors was Mei's words.

"Why am I learning about this only now?"

* * *

Jaune checked time again - 10 a.m.

_Well I guess they should be up by now._

He activated the terminal, and waited. Soon enough the call connected, and the face of a middle-aged woman appeared on screen, any trace of drowsiness disappearing when she saw him.

"Jaune! My baby boy, how are you?"

"I'm doing fine mom, thanks."

Victoria Arc was over forty years old - but looked twenty-something. None of the stress of bearing, and rising eight children showed on her. Long, brown hair framed her round face, with pair of the most intense green eyes Jaune had ever seen.

"How are you and the girls? I hope they aren't too much trouble. Are they home? What about Dad? I actually talked with him briefly few months back. We - me and my teacher that is - were in this small village in..." words flew out of him without much thought. He was just talking about anything. It wasn't very coherent - there was a lot of backtracking, and jumping from subject to subject. Victoria didn't interrupt him once, for whole hour and half he rambled on. She just sat there, nodding, small smile on her lips.

When Jaune was done, it was her turn to talk - in much the same manner. He learned that most of the girls were currently away from home. Crystal went with her team from Beacon to Vacuo on vacation. Violet and Lavender - twelve years old twins - went on a trip with their friend. Saphire - ten years old source of endless headaches for all the Arc adults, was sleeping over at her friend's house.

Neither Jaune's smile, nor voice wavered when he learned this friend was a boy.

What? He wasn't one of those crazy overprotective older siblings that chased any boy who even got close to their beloved sisters with sword drawn. He was all for letting his siblings experience as much life as possible. Keeping them too sheltered now would just hurt them in the future.

Yes, Jaune Arc was reasonable man. If one of his sisters brought a male friend home - Jaune wouldn't try to scare young man off. Quite the opposite - he would try to befriend them. If he had any concerns - he would take them for nice walk around lake, and they'd...talk things out.

And if after that they never came close to his sisters ever again, and got panic attacks at mere sound of the word "Arc" - well that wasn't his fault.

Eventually Victoria Arc finished her tale of the misadventures of Arc family, and let her daughters take her place.

The first new face to appear was that of Cere Arc. She was lithe, with blond, almost white, hair.

She nodded to him in greeting and spoke.

"Did you perhaps visit Hunter's Rest?"

"Yes."

"Did Tob pass on my message?"

"Yes."

She nodded once and walked away. This was Cere in nutshell - straight to business. At least through the phone. In reality, she might be the most emotional of all the Arc children, but she could never make it translate to phone calls. "Feelings should be discussed directly with other person. Failing that - letters," is what she said when he asked her about it one time.

Next up was Vivi. Youngest of the Arc siblings, she had her seventh birthday only a month ago. To his disappointment, he'd only been able to take part through scroll - a sudden worsening of weather had prevented him for coming home in time.

"I want a dress," were her first words. She tried to glare at him. Key word - tried. She was too young, and too cute, so she looked adorable instead. Her hardly concealed smile when she saw him didn't helped.

"What?"

"You said that I could ask whatever I want if you didn't make it to my birthday. You didn't, so I'm asking. I want a dress."

Jaune smiled. Yeah, little, pragmatic Vivi. She never let anyone forgot a promise made to her - nor did she forget the ones she made. She had no problem with using her cuteness to extract favors and sweets from people - family, friends and strangers alike. But she also never did anything to hurt another person - at least not on purpose.

"Sure. Any preferences?" Of course there were. She gave him a description so detailed, he doubted he would find exact match in any shop - it would have to be custom made.

And it would be. It was a little secret of Arc family - every female member had a dress hand-made by Jaune.

The last one to come to the phone was Rubin. She looked a lot like her mother - chestnut-brown hair that looked almost red if you looked from the right angle, green, focused eyes, oval face. There was small mole under her left eye, that she didn't like, but everyone else thought it made her look more adorable.

The moment he saw her, he knew something was wrong. The normally wide smile was just a little bit strained, the cheerful greeting a little bit less excited than normal, and her tale of how school was going lacked its usual energy.

_They told her. Or she found out herself, she is smart girl afterall._

"Hey Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think its ok to not talk with a person who you thought was your friend, but wasn't, and he did something wrong to someone else you know, and he was really mean, and…"

"Yes."

"Huh?"

"Yes. It's totally fine to not talk to someone like that. They were probably going to hurt you too at some point. They're not worth your time. So it's totally ok to not talk to them."

She nodded, looking a bit more cheerful.

"What you should do, is forget all about them. And let your brother…"

"No."

Jaune blinked a few times.

"Pardon me?"

"No. You can't take away his ring."

"Why would I want to take his ring?"

"Dad said the same thing when I was talking with him. He said I should forget about him, and that he will take care of it, and then, when he thought I wouldn't hear, he said he would take away his family heirloom, but I heard him and made him stop. So you can't do that either. He was mean, but it's not a good enough reason to take away something important to him."

It took Jaune a few moments to process this.

"Heirlooms?"

She nodded, hesitated, then put her finger to her mouth, thinking for a moment.

"He might have said jewels…"

Jaune took deep breath, counted to ten, then let it out. He would have to talk with his old man about what phrases can and can't be used near girls.

"Don't worry Rubin, I won't be taking his ring, or any other jewels. I'll just talk with him, and warn him to not be mean anymore."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

After that they talked for a bit more about a variety of topics. When he noticed it was almost 3 pm, he decided to end call. They made their goodbyes, and he left CCT tower.

_Now time for some shopping. Need a few things for the trip tonight._

First stop was general store, where he bought a knife (cheap, but solid), some rope, a hammer and two nails. Well, he didn't lie to Rubin. He wouldn't be taking anything away from this guy. There were… other methods.

Next was buying materials for Vivi dress. He knew a shop, not too far from there that had quality materials, was reasonably priced, and the owner knew him - so he wouldn't get too many strange looks.

_But seriously, is it really that rare for a Hunter to know how to sew a dress?_

He chuckled.

_I guess it is. Let me think… Cooking, herbalism, sewing, making drinks, childcare, dancing and playing guitar… not most Hunter-like set of skills… Maybe if I spent more time practicing fighting, I would have made it into combat prep-school. But then I wouldn't met Leon._

* * *

_Four years ago_.

Helping people was what Jaune always wanted to do. He grew up hearing stories of the heroic deed of his ancestors. His own father, a veteran Hunter, and later his older sister Crystal had added their fair share of stories to that legacy. So it came as little surprise that young Jaune decided he wanted to be Hero and help people - just like his father, and his father before him.

But becoming a Hunter (for Jaune Hero and Hunter were one and the same) wasn't easy. The Arc family wasn't strapped for money - Arthur Arc was a well-known, and skilled Hunter. His wife, Victoria Arc, was a skilled herbalist, and her home-made products were very popular. But taking care of a growing family took time - something the Arc parents had less and less of. So four year old Jaune decided that it was his duty to help his parents - and now two younger sisters. After all, that's what Heroes did - they helped people in need.

So he took it upon himself to look after the three year old Cere, and not even a year old Rubin.

He started learning how to cook and sew, sometimes helping his mother making her herbal products.

Unfortunately, all of this, combined with growing number of siblings (Jaune couldn't be held responsible for what would happen if he heard the term "parent's night out" one more time), him getting more and more involved in his mother craft, and his own school - hadn't left much time for training.

Sure, both Crystal (five years older than Jaune and a huntress-in-training) and his father helped when they could, whenever they were home. But it wasn't enough - so when the time for combat prep school entrance exams come - they went about as well as expected.

After that, Jaune spent around a hour wandering aimlessly. He didn't fell like returning home - his dreams were just crushed, so he wanted to mope around for a bit. What brought him out of his somber thoughts was thud, clattering and a pained moan coming from nearby alley.

Respecting his parents teachings, to always help the ones in need, Jaune made his way towards said alley.

Respecting the fact that he was not an idiot, he didn't run in - instead he plastered himself on a nearby wall, and carefully peeked inside.

The alley, wasn't too dark, or gloomy. It was even fairly clean. There was only one person there - currently kneeling, his forehead pressing against the wall, one hand clutching his stomach, other covering his mouth, muffing occasional moans of pain. The man was obviously trying his best not to puke.

Confirming he wasn't about to walk into a situation over his head, Jaune stepped inside alley.

He opened his mouth to speak, and hesitated. What should he say?

" _Are you ok?_ " The man was obviously not.

" _Do you need help?_ ". Again - stupid question with obvious answer.

"Does your stomach hurt?" Well… not the best one, but at least he was confirming what the problem was, right?

The man shot him a glare, and hissed through clenched teeth.

"Kid… get.. away…"

Someone else might have judged the man rude, or perhaps dangerous, and backed away. Jaune was all too familiar with such situations - usually it was him kneeling and puking his guts out though. One look at the other end of alley, where part of Silver Lake's bullhead dock was visible, gave him a pretty good idea of what man's afficition was.

"You have motion sickness, right?"

The man shot him another annoyed glare.

Jaune reached into his backpack, taking out a small bottle he learned to always carry around.

"Take this. Its herbal medicine. Won't cure you completely, but at very least will ease the pain."

/\\\\\

"Kid, you are a lifesaver," said the Hunter next to him about an hour later. They were sitting on a bench in the nearby park, and Jaune had the chance to take a good look at the older man. He hadn't paid much attention to it at first, but now this was obvious.

The man's clothes were heavily damaged and dirty, but of high quality. He wore dark green pants, olive shirt, and black, heavy looking boots. His torso was covered with a breastplate that looked like leather from afar, but under some closer inspection, proved to be some synthetic material. It wasn't one piece either - it was made with multiple, tiny, hexagon-shaped parts.

The man's shoulders, elbows, knees, and shins were protected with similar material.

His hands were covered with fingerless gloves, each had plate from the same material on the top. Shoulder-length hair, tied in ponytail, was so pale that it appeared almost white. Or rather grey. Two longswords, now set next to the man, completing the image of a veteran Hunter.

Or Hunter-in-training. Jaune wasn't sure - man looked fairly young.

"Kid...do you always carry bottle of stomach medicine with you? Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

"Yeah."

The man looked at him, surprised.

"One of my sisters gets stomach-aches. Learned to always carry a bottle around in case she needs it. Plus… I have motion sickness too."

The man shot him curious glance, and Jaune met it. Something passed between two of them. Some silent message between strangers, who suddenly met a kindred spirit.

"So, what were you doing there kid? Unless you want to tell me you patrol the city looking for people with motion sickness on a regular basis."

"That's… not that far from truth"

The man, currently rummaging through his backpack, paused and shot Jaune a strange look.

"My Mom makes a lot of things from herbs - medicines, cosmetics, that sort of thing. So I often run around the city delivering them to people who are too old, sick, or busy to get them themselves."

"Really? Must be tough." He said, taking out two cans of soda, and throwing one to Jaune.

He raised his own in toast and said:

"To those cursed by motion sickness."

Jaune chuckled and took a sip.

"So you have a sister, huh? I don't have any siblings. What's having one like? You have to be really close if you carry around a bottle of medicine just in case she gets sick."

"It's more because she is really young - three years old. My other sisters try to help, but they aren't good at taking care of small children."

"Other sisters? You have more?" His companion asked, taking another sip from his can.

"Yeah… Seven." The man sprayed his drink, and looked at Jaune with a mix of horror, and… admiration?

"SEVEN?!"

"Yeah. One older by five years. The rest are younger. I had to help with raising most of them."

"I…" he shook his head.

"I can't even begin to imagine…"

His companion looked like he was looking for the right words, but then just shook his head again.

"How did you even survive that much estrogen?"

Jaune closed his eyes, as some of less than pleasant memories come back.

"With great care. And sweets. Lots and lots of sweets."

They talked some more. The older man shared a few stories from his travels, Jaune answered with his own about his family. They spent some time debating what was more dangerous - being single man in house with eight women, or a freelancer hunter.

Freelancer hunter was the winner - but Jaune pointed out only two out of his women had..."that" time of month yet.

After some brief consideration, his companion agreed that when the girls got a little older - the winner would probably change.

They separated soon after. And as Jaune was making his way back home, he realized two things.

First: he no longer felt terrible about his rejection. It still hurt, but the pain was dulled. When they talked, the older man didn't show any pity or scorn when he learned Jaune failed his entrance exam to combat prep school. He instead was surprised, and - dare he say it? - impressed by Jaune's tales of how he helped raise his sisters. Well, his praises sounded genuine enough. His parting words really stuck with Jaune:

"Don't be down kid - be proud. There are hundreds of thousands kids your age who make it to combat schools. But how many of them can say they raised 6 kids, learned how to make medicine for some of the worst plagues Remnant knows (motion sickness), and graduated their school with decent grades? Hint - not many. So hold your head high, and be proud. See ya around, kid."

Second - he forgot to ask the older man's name.

.

.

.

Oh well, they would probably never see each other again.

* * *

_Heh, come to think about it - it was always like that. He taught me things, and made me feel better when I was down without me even realising it. And I was teaching - and helping - him too._

Jaune smiled at the memory. Teacher, master, friend, rival, best buddy, companion - he was many things to Jaune. And as much as he knew about surviving in the wilds, fighting, killing Grimm, and many other things, there were many things he didn't know. He didn't know much of anything about interacting with people for instance. Many judged him as brash, rude, uncaring - but Jaune knew it was far from truth. He cared about people - in his own way.

Some of his old friends told Jaune that his teacher has a pack mentality. There is his pack - family, friends, people he cares about, and then there was everyone else. The pack always came first - if someone from outside of it tried to harm someone inside - it would be met with an immediate, and violent response. That didn't ment he didn't care about people outside it - quite the opposite. He was always happy to add another member to his pack.

The buzzing of his scroll woke him up from this thoughts.

He took device out of his pocket and saw he had one new message. He opened it - and sighed when he saw what was inside.

"' **HEC:1$WVwdATL:L;d:ootwthf'** DON'T UNDERSTAND IT?! WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT MEANS? SEND "ANSWER" ON 7272 FOR FREE!"

If he were someone naive, or perhaps extremely curious, he might have sent a message back.

If he would be your average person, he would just scoff off at the blatant scam.

Jaune Arc was neither of those, so he did neither.

He knew perfectly well what the bolded text meant. The rest of the message was irrelevant - nothing more than a cover-up, if someone were to take hold of his scroll and read it.

Not that it would remain there for long.

Jaune looked around - there were far too many people around for next part. He REALLY didn't want for anyone see rest of the message. That would... complicate things.

" _First - get a spare one"_

He made his way to nearby scroll store and bought the cheapest model. The lady behind counter did her best to convince him to buy better one - but he politely refused.

"It's for use at work - and I wouldn't want to bring anything fancy out there," he said.

One look at his swords and armor was enough for her to make the connection.

_Wrong one. But it's better for everyone involved if she doesn't know the truth._

With new scroll in hand, he made his way to a public restroom. There were 3 people inside - but all cabins were free.

Good.

He quickly took one of them - farthest from door - and waited. After around 3 minutes, he heard the door close after last person. He waited for a few more moments, just to make sure he was alone.

Then he activated his new scroll, typed a short message, and sent it to a number he memorized long ago.

Exactly 10 second later, his new scroll started buzzing. He picked it up, quickly said:

"ID:447657 contract: one, one, two, three, five", and ended the call.

Almost instantly he received three messages.

The first message contained tactical information. Target's last known location, map of surrounding area with possible hiding places being marked. He scrolled down, to "combat experience" line, and smiled when he saw "none" written there.

Second message contained a short bio of target. Nothing important - he didn't need to know any of this for what he'd been hired for.

Third one contained the target's photo - the only thing he really needed to complete the contract - and some basic info, like name and age.

Jaune spent a few moments memorizing the face of the young man.

Then he tore the scroll in half.

One part went down the drain.

The second he would dump somewhere far from here - maybe after breaking it down a bit more.

Jaune Arc closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

The Professional let out his breath and opened eyes.

He had a contract to fulfill.

* * *

**Yeah, I know I mentioned weekly updates, and it was few months since last one. I will not make any excuses, I just hope you will forgive me. Bu the way, TPA is finished now on FF.net, so you can go read whole story there. If you prefer this side - well, I'll be posting chapters more often now - possibly daily.**

 

**You guys remember how I said I'll drop hints about what crossover this is? Well I may, or may not have dropped a bit too much in this chapter.**

**Not too much action in this chapter, but don't worry - it will pick up soon. For now a little omake - this one is about meeting Jaune mentioned Leon organized for him.**

**Omake: "Thank you"**

Around a year and a half ago, Jaune had had a crisis. He couldn't stop thinking about his failures - real and imagined. When his mentor beat this info out of him (literally), he just nodded, and left it at that.

Two weeks later, when he'd come to Hunter's Rest on some stupid errand (he couldn't even remember what it was - it had just been a way to lure him there), he found place packed full. That wasn't so unusual - Hunter's Rest  _was_  popular.

What was different this time, was that every person present was either someone Jaune helped personally, or friends/family of such people.

What followed were some of the most… intense moments of his life. People who he barely remembered, or didn't recognize at all, were coming one by one, shaking his hand, patting his shoulder, and saying things he always wanted to hear, but never thought he would. Or that he would deserve to.

"You saved my daughter - thank you."

"That salve you made did wonders for my leg - thank you."

"We wouldn't have made it out of that forest without you - thank you."

"You brought our children back home - thank you."

The stream of people had continued for over an hour. And each "thank you" made the voice in his head that was always telling him to just give up, that there is no point in trying, because he would fail anyway, a little quieter.

What silenced it for good was a drawing made by a 5 year old girl.

Just when Jaune thought it was over, one more woman approached him. He recognized her instantly - and felt his heart stop for a moment.

The woman was beautiful - or rather had been once upon time. The whole right side of her face (and, as Jaune knew, the entire right side of her body) were covered in terrible burn scars. Scars that were his fault.

* * *

A little over a year before, he and his master had come upon a village under bandit attack. While his mentor was clearing out the trash (Jaune long since stopped considering bandits as human beings), he went to help the wounded villagers. When he was applying salve on some old man's wounds, he learned that two of the bandits had taken some of the villagers to the forest. Noting that his master was still busy with pest control, he decided to do some clearing of his own.

Finding bandits was easy enough - they hadn't expected a pursuit, and probably never even heard the phrase "covering your tracks." At first, he wanted to create a diversion, then free the hostages, and either run with them towards village, or stay and stall bandits.

When one of them pulled one of the captured women out, and started tearing her clothes off - he tensed.

When another one of bandits pulled out a long knife - he sprung to action.

Both of the them were turned away from him, completely drunk, and solely focused on the now half-naked and sobbing woman in front of them.

The first one never knew what hit him.

Jaune's shield slammed into his back, sending him tumbling forward, and before he could do anything else, the pommel of teen's sword met his neck, knocking him unconscious.

Jaune turned towards the other bandit, who was still gaping dumbly at the very young, very armed, and very angry boy who had appeared out of nowhere.

Not one to waste an opportunity when it presented itself, Jaune charged at the other man.

The bandit's parry was clumsy, and left him off balance. The shield that slammed into his head a second later didn't help either. Another slash directed at his stomach was barely dodged - and almost caused the man to topple over.

" _He is no match for me - no training, no aura and he's drunk,"_ thought Jaune, throwing another telegraphed and easily dodgeable attack.

Jaune "barely" swatted aside bandit's mace, and countered with a thrust towards his chest - one he had to slow down quite a bit for the man to dodge.

" _I have to drag him away from the hostages, can't have him pull some desperate, last-minute bulshit near them."_

After taking care of first bandit, Jaune briefly considered trying to knock out the other man in similar manner, but thought better of it. The second man was much bigger and muscular than the first. If many scars and deformed face were anything to go by - he was used to fighting. Plus, the alcohol in his body would dull the pain. Knocking him out would be bound to take a while - so he opted on dragging him as far away from hostages as he could. All the time "struggling" with the fight, convincing the older man that he was pushing him back.

" _Remember Jaune - if you are weaker than your opponent - make them think you are stronger. Taunt them, play off any hits as not hurting at all. They might get impatient, and give you an opening. When they are weaker - make them think they are winning. Let them feel safe, in control, wait for a clear opening and take them down, preferably with single strike. People tend to pull out some desperate shit when they are backed into corner. Plus, it's so much more satisfying to kick them back into dirt when they are sure they've already won."_

The next counter - a shield blow to the face after another "narrow" dodge sent bandit to the ground.

Jaune spared a quick glance behind him - no more than 2 meters between them and the still sobbing woman. When Jaune turned back to bandit, he was on one knee, one hand reaching behind his back. A moment later man threw something at him.

The Fire Dust crystal hit his hastily risen shield, washing the blond teen in flames.

Jaune Arc greet his teeth.

The woman behind him screamed.

* * *

Jaune stared at the woman who had suffered the consequences of his mistake. He came out from the encounter relatively unharmed - and beat the second bandit to bloody pulp. Then spent another week preparing salves and medicines for the woman. It helped ease the pain.

But it didn't fixed what was lost. It never could.

Jaune wasn't sure what he expected from woman. For sure rage - but what would she do? Call him the failure that he was? Blame him for the pain she suffered? Hit him?

He earned all of this, and much more.

So when she enveloped him in gentle hug, and whispered "thank you" into his ear - he thought he could be excused for needing a few moments to reboot his brain.

When he regained ability to perceive his surrounding, he noticed the woman still standing there, and still smiling at him. She wasn't alone though.

He recognized the man next to her as her husband. He was constant presence near her bed the week Jaune had been there.

The young girl peeking from behind her he recognized as well - she was much smaller back then, but the woman's daughter looked even more like her mother now.

He didn't recognize the second child. She (or he?) could only be a year old at most. But Jaune was fairly sure they had only one child back then.

The woman took the child from her husband. Her smile widened.

"She will be two months next Sunday," she said.

_What?_

She blushed a little.

"Ït happened around a month after you two left."

The realization struck him like hammer.

_There's no way..._

"She would never have been born if you didn't save my wife," said her husband.

_Stop._

He stared dumbly at little girl. The little life that would never come to be, if not for his action.

"Her name is Jennie."

_Please, stop._

Without even realizing, he reached towards the sleeping child. The woman placed her in his hands without any hesitation.

He felt her weight - the weight of life that existed thanks to him. It felt… good.

Something tugged at his sleeve. He looked down and saw the other girl presenting him a folded piece of paper.

Slowly, as to not wake up the little wonder in his arms, he took it and unfolded.

It was picture - about as well drawn as you would expect from 5-year old girl.

There were five people on it.

The four of them, holding hands, had to be girl's family. The fifth one, much bigger, with sword, shield, and blond hair was apparently him.

There were a few words written by someone who was still learning how, but put as much effort as possible.

"Thank you for saving mama and bringing us sis!"

That was final straw. All his regrets, doubts, and fears flew out in the stream of tears.


	4. Harrowing business

**AN: Welcome to ch 3 of TPA. I hope you will enjoy it.  
Proper grammar as always ensured by JJD.**

* * *

**CH 3**

It was a tale as old as time.

Young boy from some backwater town, comes to big city to make name for himself. There he soon finds out that dreams, determination, and a willingness to work hard don't matter - at least not as much as documented qualifications and connections. And just when it seems like the only remaining option is to come back home in shame, a "generous stranger" appears. He offers said young man a job in his "private courier company", that handles "delicate orders" for "influential people."

Jaune wasn't sure when his mark realized said people were Vale's most wanted criminals, and the packages he was carrying around were drugs, stolen goods, and dirty money. In anycase, at some point after discovering the truth about his job, he decided to quit. Whether it was because he had enough, double-crossed someone, or stole from his boss - it didn't matter.

What mattered was that he caused a mess - one that Jaune had to clean up.

He sighed, and took one more glance at the surrounding area. He was in Vale's warehouse district. This particular part contained the old workers' barracks - most of them long since abandoned.

It was one of such buildings that his mark had picked for a hiding spot. Jaune had spent the last 40 minutes scouting his surroundings, to get idea of how many potential witnesses were around. To his pleasant surprise - there were none.

Deciding that it was as good time as any, he strode towards the building in front of him. It was an ugly, square block, with each wall stretching 20m, with a single corridor going through the middle. Immediately after entering the building, there would be an open kitchen with a seating area on his left, and a bathroom on his right. Slightly further, there would be two rooms, one on each side of the corridor.

Coming closer to the doors - now just an empty hole in the wall - Jaune reviewed the message he had received twenty minutes ago. It was basically an uncoded, and more detailed version of the original.

**Harrowed Existence Sighted in West Vale, warehouse district.**

**Class: 1**

**Combat Experience Pre-Corruption: none**

**Aura Status Pre-Corruption: locked**

**Approximate Threat Level - low**

**Approximate Corruption Level - very low**

**Additional information - Target appears to retain partial awareness.**

_So a Ghoul, huh? Not even fully corrupted._

He thought, staring at the photo of a young man - or what was once a young man. The creature that was in the photo still resembled a human - albeit a very twisted human. One arm was almost twice as bulky as the other, and covered in large black marks. Similarly, its face - left side was mostly intact - not counting traces of severe beating person received before he died, But the skin on right side was mostly black. There was a visible cave-in on the side of its head - probably the killing blow.

_So the kid tried to run. They caught him, probably dragged him to one of their hideouts and made example of him. Looks like they put quite a beating on him while he was tied up judging from his body and wrist. Then they got tired of that, and tied him to a car and drug him around a bit.. The blow to the head had to be what finished him off though._

His mark had one friend in Vale - a girl around his age, a student at a local medical school. He had been staying at her home for the past few days. According to the girl and her parents, he was "good boy" who "wouldn't hurt fly, even if his life depended on it". It was her that reported his disappearance to the Police - two days ago.

_Judging by the corruption level, he was probably up for no more than four to six hours when this photo was taken. Ghouls usually get up after eight to twelve hours._

The Harrowed was spotted around two hours ago.

_So, the young boy wants to get out of the criminal organization because he found some good people that believe in him. He tries - and fails. They catch him, and made an example of him. Took their time too._

Jaune sighed.

_Yep, that's a recipe for a Ghoul spawn right there._

He made it to the door, and slowly peeked inside. Besides some broken furniture, the building appeared empty. A quick check confirmed that his target wasn't in the bathroom - so the only hiding place left were the two rooms.

_Now which one should I check first? I'd prefer to not be ambushed. Or worse - let him escape._

Drawing his sword - not Crocea Mors, but his longsword with the pitch-black blade - he slowly made his way inside.

_Left or right - which one should I pick?_

His decision was made for him, when he heard a rustling and some muffled sounds coming from left room.

As he came closer, Jaune quickly recalled what he knew about his target.

Class 1 Harrowed (often referred to as "Ghouls") were the most common type. They didn't possess any crazy abilities, besides a high-level of strength and durability. They usually retained at least a vaguely humanoid shape, and were relatively easy to deal with - if you knew what you were doing. Sometimes, in very rare cases, they retained some of their memories. At least for a short while. They formed when someone died slowly, filled with regret, and were fully aware of what was happening - for example, if a young man had tried to run away from some criminal organization, but was caught and made an example of.

Jaune closed the remaining distance, and slowly looked inside room. The Ghoul was easy to spot - he was just sitting in one corner - the farthest from the door - and poking at the wall. Jaune took deep breath, and entered the room.

The beast still hadn't noticed him, so he used the chance to examine it. It still looked mostly human, with only its left hand being much bulkier and black. There were a few more black spots on its body, and two very short bone spikes growing on its back.

Jaune took a few careful steps towards the creature. Somehow it still hadn't noticed him.

_Good. It's probably distracted by the noise it's making. If I'm careful I should be able to sneak up on it and…_

The Ghoul whipped around, staring straight into Jaune's eyes. One of its were red and glowing - much like that of Grimm, the other still a brown-ish hue.

_Or it could just turn around and make it harder for me. Sure, why not._

Jaune tensed, sword at the ready, and waited for an attack. It didn't come.

A few tension-filled seconds passed. Neither of them made a single move.

_Is it seriously waiting for me to make my move? It shouldn't be that intelligent._

Then he saw flicker of... something in the beast's brown eye. Something human.

"You're still in there, aren't you?"

The beast let out a low growl.

"It must hurt a lot."

With a snarl the Ghoul jumped. Jaune danced out of the way and slashed, cutting off the Harrowed's black hand. It landed heavily, stumbled, and fell. It tried to get up, but Jaune was already on it. The black blade easily pierced the creature's back, pinning it to the floor. It let out a surprisingly human cry of pain, struggled for few seconds, then stilled.

_"I am Guide for damned,_

_I am the Ferryman of lost souls._

_With this blade I release yours, dear Brother._

_I will cut down the chains of sorrow that bind you,_

_I will vanquish the fear that crushes you._

_I will bring you peace."_

Just as the last word left Jaune's mouth, so did the last black spot disappear form the Ghoul's body.

He got up and let out a loud sigh.

_Still, the real monsters here are his former employers._

He spared one last look at the, now completely human, corpse.

_Rest in peace. I hope you didn't suffer too long._

He sighed, and made his way towards the exit.

* * *

"FREEZE!"

"HANDS IN THE AIR, YOU SCUM!"

"DROP YOUR WEAPON, ASSHOLE!"

These were the first words he heard when he left the building. Each sentence was uttered by men wearing the uniform of Vale Police Department, each pointing a gun at him.

_I knew today started too well. Is this punishment for having an extra serving of Mei's dumplings?_

And as he was pushed to the ground, his hands being cuffed behind his back, and his rights being read to him, he couldn't help but think:

_Still worth it._

* * *

Jaune looked around the interrogation room. It looked oddly familiar - even though it was the first time he was visiting this one.

_Well, you've seen one - you've seen them all._

He had been sitting there for about 20 minutes now - it was almost 7 pm, and Jaune was starting to get nervous.

_I really need to wrap this up quickly. Still need to make it to the plane._

His thoughts were interrupted when the doors opened, and man who was clearly not a police officer entered the room.

He was wearing a black suit of good quality, sunglasses and black tie. At first glance he looked like your average office worker. No one would bother with a second look.

"Please accept our apologies." He said, taking seat in front of Jaune.

"This… situation is the result of an oversight on our part. It appears that the local authorities were not informed that one of our Representatives was operating in the area. Of course, we've already resolved this misunderstanding. You can go now, your belongings will be returned to you at the front desk. I wish you good night."

With that, the man stood up and left.

_Well, that one was talkative for a Company agent._

Thought Jaune, as he followed the man towards the exit.

_Usually they hardly say anything at all. And he even apologized._

When he was collecting his things at the front desk, he heard a nervous cough behind him. He turned around, and saw one of officers that arrested him.

"I just wanted to say sorry." He said

Jaune shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. You thought you were dealing with some sociopath murderer. Not the first time it has happened to me, and probably won't be the last".

Yes, that was one of biggest drawbacks of Jaune's not-really-secret occupation. Even though he was the Company's Harrowed Extermination Representative, situations like this happened from time to time.

After all, when some policeman found you with blood-soaked sword over a mutilated body, they tended to jump to conclusions. Explaining that said corpse was monster just few seconds ago usually didn't work out too well.

The policeman just nodded and handed him a small plastic card - his Company ID. Jaune looked at it and smiled. It had only some basic info - his photo, name and Company identification number. Just like hundreds of thousands of other IDs

What was different were seven words written at the bottom:

**Worldwide Independent Taskforce Company Harrowed Extermination Representative**

_I wonder if anyone actually uses the full name?_

Jaune suspected that the answer was no. At least, he preferred shortened version.

WITCHER had such a nice ring to it.

* * *

Jaune was not in a good mood.

He made it to the plane without much of a problem. The trip to Silver Lake was uneventful, but not very comfortable. He spent the whole five hours long flight in the cold cargo bay, his medicine had stopped working somewhere around the third hour, and he had to rely on his Aura to fight off the motion sickness. He had hoped to let out some of the stress dealing with his new target - but the guy proved surprisingly hard to find, and lure to some secluded location where they could… "talk." This, combined with a longer than expected flight, left Jaune with very little time to work with, if he wanted to make it back for the meeting. The flight back, while faster, was just as unpleasant. He couldn't afford to take his medicine now, since it made him sleepy for a few hours.

So, now he was sitting at small table in Hunter's Rest, one with a good view of the entrance, and close to kitchen door. That way he could get good look at anyone who entered, before they could notice him, and if someone who he didn't want to meet appeared, he could retreat through the back door.

Jaune checked his scroll again. It was 7:45. The client should be arriving any moment now.

There were already a few patrons inside, with new ones filing in from time to time.

A few minutes passed, and a few more people entered Hunter's Rest - but not a single one of them spared more than a single glance towards Jaune.

He sighed, and just as he considered ordering something to eat, the door opened one more time, and a single, well-dressed, middle-aged man entered the room. He didn't even bother to look around as he headed straight towards Jaune as soon as he passed the door.

Jaune recognized him instantly - how could he not? Anyone who was in this line of business had at the very least heard of the man.

_So this is my client, huh? This should be… interesting._

"Jaune Arc, I presume?"

The man said, extending his hand.

"One and the same."

Jaune shook his hand, and pointed to other chair for the man to sit.

"So, how can I be of assistance to Headmaster of Beacon Academy?"

Professor Ozpin smiled.

"Well, I think it's obvious isn't it? I need some… professional help."

_Now that's bulshit_   _if I've ever heard it. He probably can call dozens of Hunters with much more experience than me anytime. And that's not counting the Beacon staff, or students._

"Pardon my bluntness Headmaster, but I'm sure you could easily reach out to someone with much more experience than myself."

"True." Ozpin easily admitted. "But for the task I have in mind, your unique skill set would be of the utmost value. There are some… other reasons I'm coming to you as well.

"Other reasons?"

_Other reasons could be bad for your health._

Ozpin took the previously ordered cup of coffee from Mei, took long sip, and smiled contently.

"Before I explain, please tell me: how much did your teacher tell you about this job?"

_I hate this playing coy shit._

"Only thats it's in Vale, and the client is someone he knows personally. Nothing more."

Ozpin nodded, took another sip, and spoke.

"I'm sure that you are aware that Beacon will soon start its academic year?" The older man waited for Jaune to confirm before continuing. "Usually, around this time of year, I'm hiring several Hunters to check out the initiation area in order to ensure potential students do not run into something over their heads."

_That actually makes sense… now that he mentions it, Leon always insisted we come back to Vale around this time of year._

"I make sure to always include at least one WITCHER in this group. Usually it's your mentor, but as you know he is unavailable at the moment. He mentioned you would be in the area when we last spoke, and assured me you are more than qualified for such a task."

"But that's not everything, right? You could hire any Representative for this. Even a regular, more experienced Hunter would probably do the job." He leaned across the table. "So I ask again: why me?"

Ozpin took a long sip. Then another. And another.

Just when Jaune was starting to get irritated, he spoke.

"Would you like to come to my school, Jaune?"

_What?!_

"What?!"

Ozpin took a long sip. Then another.

_Take one more. I dare you, take one more sip. See what happens._

Whether the older man heard his mental message, or just had enough coffee, he spoke again.

"It's simple Mr. Arc. A few weeks ago, I was contacted by your teacher. He made a request - to give his pupil chance to attend Beacon."

"What?" asked Jaune.

_Very eloquent brain, really. You're doing great._

Ozpin just smiled.

"I assure you, I was just as surprised. Usually, I am the one making requests of him."

All Jaune could do was stare at the man in front of him.

_So, this is the "special bonus" Leon mentioned…_

"So, you're going to let me attend Beacon? Just like that? And what does this job have to do with it?"

"Yes, I'm more than willing to accept a skilled individual into my school. Especially if said individual comes with a recommendation from one of my trusted friends - one that I know is not easily impressed. As for your job - it's simple. You can think of it as your entrance exam."

"Entrance exam?"

"Yes. As you know there are two way to get accepted into Beacon - either graduate from a combat prep school, and get a recommendation from there, or pass our entrance exam. There are a lot of people who couldn't attend schools afterall. Unfortunately we couldn't contact you in time to schedule you for such an exam. That's why, after discussing it with my colleagues, we decided to bend the rules a bit and offer you this opportunity."

Ozpin took another sip of his coffee and continued.

"You will join a group of experienced Hunters on a simple mission - assessing the Grimm population in the area initiation will take place. Your performance will be observed and graded. Should we judge your performance satisfactory, you will join the rest of the students at initiation day."

"Wait, why would I need to pass initiation, if you're send me on mission in the same area?"

"Because initiation serves not only as way to assess the skills of our future students, but also plays an important role in assigning teams."

Jaune nodded.

"Ok, so to sum it up - I am to go on routine mission to assist some Hunters in assessing

the Grimm population, should I perform well, I'll get chance to attend Beacon."

"That is correct."

Jaune considered Ozpin's words for few moments. The offer looked good - almost too good to be true. If not for his master's message earlier, he would've been more suspicious. It's not everyday the Headmaster of one of most prestigious combat academies in the world offered you a place in his school. But since he knew his master was involved - he was willing to believe him.

"Ok, sounds good to me. Let's talk about details."

* * *

Blake Belladonna leaned against the wall and let out a tired sigh. She had done it. She'd been accepted to Beacon.

The last week had been nerve-wracking. She passed the entrance exam without any problems - years of training and fighting in White Fang put her above most hunters-in-training. It was the waiting that really got her - despite what she hoped, she didn't get a decision the same day she passed exam. Only now, almost a week after, and only two days before initiation, she was invited to an interview by Headmaster Ozpin. He assured her it was standard procedure, but she still was nervous - whole time expecting Vale Police Officers to burst into room and arrest her. Nothing like that happened - even though Ozpin had subtly suggested he was aware of her past.

Oh well, she was now formally a huntress-in-training. This was first step on her road to redemption. She wouldn't waste it.

She pushed off the wall, rounded the corner - and collided with someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Are you alright?" She heard a male voice ask.

Thankfully, she didn't fall - that would have been embarrassing. Instead, she looked up at the man in question.

Boy, she quickly amended - he couldn't be older than her. Tall and lean, almost scraggy. Blond hair, blue eyes. He wore a simple hoodie underneath a breastplate, pauldrons, and armored gloves. Simple jeans, and heavy, metal-reinforced boots. This, plus the two swords on his hip suggested he was hunter-in-training.

_Is he here for the interview too? I don't recall him from the exam… but he might have taken it at a different date._

His next words all but confirmed her suspicions.

"Are you here for the interview too?"

She nodded.

He laughed nervously.

"So… is Ozpin inside?" He asked, pointing at the door to the room she left a few moments ago.

_Why is he so nervous? It's just an interview._

Her eyes narrowed, but she squashed the suspicions that started building inside her.

_It's just my paranoia talking. He is just some 17 year old boy about to meet one of most influential people in Vale. Of course he's nervous._   _Now calm down, and answer him like a completely normal person._

"Yes. I just left - he should still be inside."

"Thanks. So-o.. I'm…" he made to speak, but voice behind her interrupted him.

"Ah, mister Arc. It's good to see you made it. Please, come inside."

He smiled at her apologetically.

"Well I guess we'll meet tomorrow? See you later."

_Tomorrow?_

Ah, yes. All candidates would gather at Beacon to be prior to the initiation the next day.

_Calm down. He is just normal boy. He is going to Beacon, saw another student, and just wanted to talk. Nothing suspicious about it._

She took a few deep breaths and let go of Gambol Shroud.

_Gotta take a hold of myself. I can't be so nervous, people will get suspicious._

* * *

_Damn, she was cute._ Thought Jaune as he entered room with Ozpin.

_But why so jumpy? I'm pretty sure I didn't accidently grab her or anything when we hit._

The older man urge him to sit on one chair, taking the other for himself. Then he placed his scroll on table between them, pressed a few buttons - and a holographic display appeared over the table.

"This is the area Initiation will take place at," said Ozpin. "As you can see, it's mostly forest, surrounded by mountains. It's actually right next to Beacon. Like I mentioned, we hired several hunters to help ensure that the population of Grimm in the area are kept at a manageable level. We have twelve people in total, excluding yourself. They will be divided into six, two-person teams. Each team will have its zone to cover."

As he spoke, another display appeared - this one was a simple map of the same area, with six zones, each differently colored, and numbered from one to six.

"Since I won't be on any team, I assume you want me to just run through every zone and confirm that there are no Harrowed?"

"That's what we initially planned yes." Said Ozpin "But there was a change of plans "

At that, a third display appeared. It was a photograph. Very poor quality, but one could just make out a black, vaguely humanoid creature on it. Well, it was standing on two legs, and had two arms. It was hard to tell anything more.

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

"It's not an Ursa… too big for Beowolf… though it might be an Alpha."

He looked at the older man.

"You think it's a Harrowed?"

"It's a possibility. We noticed its presence only two days ago, though it's possible it was there for longer. The photo you see was taken by one of the cameras we have installed in the forest. It's from yesterday, and only one with the whole thing in it. We have few more if you want to see them - but even though they are of better quality, they only capture fragments of body, sometimes only a shadow is visible."

"What has us concerned, is that on every photo where we got even glimpse of it, it appears to be alone. And most of them were taken in this area," said Ozpin, pointing at a red circle that appeared on the first display. It covered the northern part of forest, with some mountains.

"It's rather unusual for a Beowolf, especially an Alpha, to be alone. Or to stick to one place for so long." Jaune hummed. "Judging by looks, it might be a heavily corrupted Ghoul, but it's really hard to tell."

"Exacily. While it's not unheard of, we prefer to be safe than sorry. That's why we want you to investigated this area, and eliminate whatever it is. If it turns out to be Harrowed, confirm whether or not it originated from this area. We are almost certain it's not, but we want to be sure."

_So it's a simple search and destroy._

"What can you tell me about this area?"

"It's mostly forest, not too thick. The ground is even, covered in high grass - but not enough for something this size to hide in. There is one cave." He explained, pointing at the map. "Around here."

_Almost exactly at the centre. Guess I know where I'll be heading._

"How do I get there?"

"You will be transported by bullhead. We will drop you with Team 4 around here," he pointed at a spot, roughly a kilometer from his destination.

"All participants will have their scrolls synced to Beacon's network to ensure that you will be able to communicate easily. All Hunters will know about your presence - but not the details about why you are there. Teams 4 and 5 have been informed to prioritize any calls for help from you over their own task. Operation begins tomorrow at 9 a.m. You are to gather at Vale Central Airport, dock number 9. Any questions?"

Jaune shook his head. Everything was clear - at least as clear as it could be when dealing with an unknown threat.

"Good. Then we will see each other tomorrow. I wish you a good night Mr. Arc."

* * *

Jaune was at the airport at 8:25. He wasn't the first there - a few Hunters were already standing near dock 9, talking about something. When he came closer, they turned, giving him a nod in greeting, and going back to whatever they were talking about.

At 8:40, the last pair of hunters arrived. One of them was a middle-aged man, who Jaune vaguely recognized from somewhere. The other was much younger, about Jaune's age. He was talking about something with the older man, waving his arms around excitedly.

At 8:50, three bullheads with the Beacon logo arrived. One of them carried Ozpin and a blond woman Jaune didn't recognized.

_Probably Glynda Goodwitch, Ozpin's right hand._

They gave some last-minute instructions to the gathered Hunters, and then wished them good luck.

As the teams started to board the designated Bullheads, Ozpin called out to Jaune.

"We got a clearer picture of your target." He said, while the blond woman handed him an envelope.

Jaune opened it and looked inside. There was a photo taken with a night vision filter, and at some distance. The creature was turned away from whoever had taken the photo, but Jaune could see black skin and bone spikes popping out of its back.

"It certainly looks like an Alpha Beowolf…"

"That was our conclusion as well. But it's behavior is very…abnormal. The Hunter who took this picture attempted to eliminate it, but before he could get close enough, it sensed him… and ran."

Jaune looked at man with surprise.

"It…ran? Without even fighting?"

"Yes." This time it was the woman who spoke. "While it's possible that it simply sensed something else, it certainly seem to be too much of a coincidence. The Hunter in question reported that it remained completely motionless for an extended period of time - almost half a hour. Then, when he closed to about 100 meter radius, it suddenly started running away from him. It didn't run in a straight line either - it changed direction frequently. Ultimately, the Hunter chased it down to a cave in the middle of its territory, at which point he decided stop pursuit, deeming entering an unknown cave, with unknown threat inside and no backup too dangerous."

_Smart man._  Thought Jaune.

The woman fixed her glasses and continued.

"We couldn't obtain any more information on your target Mr. Arc. But based on the information we have, it's almost certainly an Alpha Beowolf. While its behavior is highly unusual, it could be the result of its experience."

Jaune stared at photograph a little longer. It certainly looked like a Beowolf. A very odd-behaving one, but still a Beowolf. He couldn't see the creature's head, since it was facing away from camera, and was hunched over.

_It looks… normal. No apparent deviations, and judging from looks, it could have been a Ghoul… But they usually bulker, and shorter. Plus to reach this level of corruption it had to be very old - someone would have taken notice of it. It could have come from somewhere else. Maybe someone hunted it and failed, so it ran here? Damn, if only I could see its head - could tell for sure then._

Jaune sighed, and handed the envelope back to the woman.

"I think I can agree that it's just a very unusual Beowolf. The photos don't show too many details, but from what I can tell, it's too tall, and its limbs are too thin to be a Ghoul. It might be some other kind of Harrowed… but they tend to have very distinctive shapes."

"I see..." said Ozpin, nodding in understanding.

He seemed to contemplate something for few seconds, then spoke again.

"Your mission remains the same Mr. Arc. You are to locate this creature and eliminate it. If it's Harrowed - investigate area and look for any clues as to where it came from. After you are done with this task, you are to assist the other teams with Grimm control."

Jaune nodded.

"Understood."

They shook hands and Jaune made his way towards the bullhead.

They took off as soon as he strapped himself in. The trip would take only about half an hour - not enough time to try to catch any sleep, so Jaune instead examined his temporary companions. To his left, talking quietly between themselves sat a pair - man and a woman. They looked to be in their mid-twenties. He couldn't bet sure if they were a couple, siblings, or just friends.

In front of him, and to the right sat an older man, who Jaune was sure he knew from somewhere. Judging by how man stared at him the moment he entered bullhead, it was a mutual feeling.

Jaune made to ask, but another voice interrupted him.

"So you are the WITCHER guy, huh? You're younger than I expected."

Jaune turned to the last occupant of the bullhead.

"Yeah, I get that a lot."

The boy - he couldn't be any older than Jaune - looked at him for a few seconds, a friendly smile on his lips.

"I bet. So tell me - why did Headmaster Ozpin hire you?" He asked leaning forward. "If it's not a secret I mean." He quickly added.

Jaune just shrugged.

"They suspect there is a Harrowed in the area. My job is to look into it, kill whatever it is, and then assist you guys."

"Well, you don't have to worry about us - we can take care of ourselves." He said a little too proudly. "My friend here is a veteran hunter." He nodded towards the older man. Jaune looked at him, just in time to notice slight wince at 'friend'.

_Probably hired as bodyguard. And by the looks of it, the job not as easy as he thought it would be._

"And I'm no pushover either. You see, my family is very well connected, we're the Dances, so I was trained by the best. I don't want to brag…" He said, with tone suggesting that not only did he want to, but was also more than willing to - and no one could stop him.

Jaune tuned him out after just a few words - and he wasn't only one. It looked like no one was paying any attention to his blaber - but it didn't discourage him.

Jaune's focus was on the older Hunter. _Where do I know this guy from. I'm sure we met before, but I can't remember._ He thought, making some acknowledging sounds from time to time.

...graduated?"

It took him few seconds to realize boy in front of him asked him a question.

"Excuse me, I got lost in my thoughts. What did you ask?"

"Sunny." The boy finally introduced himself. "I just wanted to know what school you graduated from. You see, before this mission I did a little background check on the people hired for it - I mean, we're professionals after all, and like to know who we're working with, am I right? So I checked everyone out, but you - I couldn't find much on you. There are some records in the Company of you doing job or two, but nothing about your qualifications. So I was just wondering - what school did you graduate from? And when did you passed exam for the WITCHER certification? I mean, from what I've heard, the Company's courses take at least one year…"

"Heartshatter Ridge".

There were a few moments of silence.

"Heartshatter Ridge. That's where I graduated." Jaune repeated.

Everyone was staring at him for few seconds before the boy in front of him erupted.

"Heart..what the hell are you talking about?! I know the place, it's just few houses, and a palisade. There is no school there!"

"Trial by fire," a new voice spoke. It belonged to the boy's older companion, who was now staring at Jaune with a slight smile.

"He graduated by trial by fire." Seeing the questioning looks of other occupants of the bullhead, he explained.

"That's how us old-timers refer to someone that didn't go to school, but proved their skill in the field. "He," the man pointed to Jaune, "traveled for a few years with an experienced Hunter, and learned the ropes in the field. That's how he got his WITCHER licence - you don't have to do any courses to attempt the exam in that case. And if at least five WITCHERS with at least one year experience give you a recommendation - you don't even need an exam."

He continued with a smile on his face.

"I knew I knew you from somewhere kid. You were shorter back then. And I had more facial hair, and less clothing. Jaune Arc right?"

Seeing that Jaune still couldn't connect the dots, he elaborated.

"Vacuo? Like a eight months ago? Long-term contract to escort a caravan delivering supplies to some Dust mines in the desert. Had a run-in with a Ghoul - bastard almost bit my arm off," at that he presented his left arm, with clearly visible bite marks.

"Would have died if not for his teacher cutting the damn thing down. Would have lost the arm too, if not for your medicine kid. I still don't know what the hell was that thing you gave me - but I was sure I was hallucinating when I saw the flesh start to grow back."

Jaune's eyes lit up. "Ah! I remember now. Butch! I also remember that you were quite proud of your beard. What made you decide to shave it?"

He smiled.

"A woman."

Jaune chuckled. Yeah, that would explain a few things. Then he recalled something else.

"Hey, after they got you to the hospital, what did the doctors say?"

The man looked at Jaune surprised.

"Well, at first they couldn't believe my arm was almost completely separated just a few hours before. They gave me a blood transfusion, kept me for a few days, and then let me go."

"There were no.. side effects?" Seeing man's questioning glance, Jaune explained. "What I gave you was not exactly… tested before. I used it few times on myself, and was always fine, but when I gave it to other people there were often...side-effects - nausea, dizziness, increased, or slowed heartbeat. One guy started hallucinating, and lost consciousness for three days."

The older man rubbed his chin. "Can't say for sure. I passed out, but it might have been due to the blood loss. Can't remember if I had anything else."

Jaune just nodded.

Soon after he started traveling with Leon, he had started experimenting with mixing Dust and herbs to create Dust-enhanced medicines (or elixirs, as his teacher called them). They proved to be very effective, but the stronger ones had serious side effect for anyone that used them. Anyone but Jaune. He still didn't know for sure why - Leon speculated it might have been either because his high Aura level, or a sign of his awakening semblance.

"So you're a WITCHER then? What's that like? I've heard a lot about you guys - not sure what to believe."

This time it was girl sitting next to him. She was staring at him too, but with curiosity. She held out a hand.

"I'm Bonnie by the way. The broody type next to me is Clyde." The man raised a few fingers in salute.

Jaune took the offered hand. "Well, it's not that different than being Hunter. You do the same type of thing - only difference is that we're trained on how to properly deal with Harrowed."

"So are there any special tricks? Hidden knowledge? Dark, secret rituals, performed in long-forgotten temples?" She asked excitedly.

Jaune laughed.

"I'm afraid not." She looked disappointed for awhile, but then perked up.

"So, what do you think is out there?" Clyde asked.

Jaune was considering answer for few moments.

"It's… hard to tell. Everything points to it just being a big Alpha Beowolf. But it's acting very strange - goes solo, runs without fighting, sticks to very specific territory. For sure its not a Wraith - they always stay close to place they died, plus they look more human. It could be a heavily corrupted Ghoul - but from the photos I saw it looked too tall and too lean to be one. Plus there is one more problem - if it would be Harrowed there had to be body. And I'm sure someone would have noticed if someone died so close to Beacon."

Jaune eyebrows narrowed.

"It could be an Aberration…" he said slowly.

"Aberration?" asked the boy in front of him.

"They are kind of... special cases. Officially called Class 3: Aberrated Harrowed Existence, they are outliers. Unlike Class 1 and 2, there is almost no common traits between them, no single strategy to fight them - you have to adapt on the fly."

"But they usually have very distinctive looks . Even when it's a parasite-type Aberration - they tend to mutated they host beyond recognition. This one looked like a normal Alpha."

Jaune looked around, and smiled.

"So, any more questions?"

"What is the deal with this black swords you WITCHERs use? I saw few of you, and everyone carried one - but they also had normal weapons. There is something special about them right?" Bonnie asked excitedly.

"Actually not every Witcher has one. Making one is very hard, costly, and you have to do it on your own. It's kind of like graduation ceremony. While you can get Company licence without having one, most veterans don't consider you 'true' Witcher without it."

"So how are they made? And what's so hard about it?"

"First of all, you need very high quality Dust. Several types in fact. You then mix it with steel and few other things to create special alloy. Tricky part is that exact proportions, and types of Dust differ from person to person - only way to find out yours is to experiment. Then the blade is forged with an application of one's Aura. Its delicate process - easy to mess up, and when you do, you have to start from scratch."

"So what does it do? Does it shoot lighting? Burst in flames? Cuts through every material like a hot knife through butter?"

Jaune just smiled. He  _could_  just tell them.

But there were more… entertaining ways of explaining.

He handed his black blade - still in its scabbard - to the girl.

"See for yourself."

She unsheathed the blade and looked it over, face slowly changing from excited, to surprise, and suspicious.

He knew why. The blade was dull, covered in cracks, and...

_Wait for it…_

The girl turned sword around wanting to inspect the marks near hilt more closely. In doing so she hit bullhead floor with the tip of blade - breaking it.

Jaune somehow managed to not burst out laughing.

The poor girl looked like she wasn't sure whether to apologize, start making excuses, or burst into tears.

Jaune took mercy on her.

"As you can see, the blade is dull, and very brittle. It's basically a piece of junk. Unless its owner is holding it." With that, he grabbed hilt of weapon - and it stirred to life. The cracks started to disappear, the edges sharpened, and the broken tip still lying on floor turned into mist and started reforming on blade.

"The production process makes it very sensitive to Aura - you can use it to strengthen the blade."

"Wait, isn't something like that, like, super hard?"

"Yes. That's why we make them ourselves. By using our aura in the forging process it becomes much easier to insert your aura into it. It also means that no one else would be able to use your blade."

"That's...kinda cool. But there has to be more, right? No way you go through all this trouble just to make sword no one else can use."

Jaune smiled.

"Of course not. This swords has another property - one that is extremely dangerous if mishandled…one that is almost required to deal with most Harrowed. One that makes it so dangerous, some WITCHERS choose not to craft a blade at all. One that is..."

Jaune shot the girl a quick glance.

She looked like she was about to explode from anticipation. And it wasn't just her, all the passengers were now staring intensely at Jaune.

_Damn, I almost feel sorry for what I'm about to do._ He smiled.  _Almost._

"... a secret."

Few seconds passed in silence. Then the bullhead exploded. Figuratively.

"Oh come on! You can't leave us hanging like that!"

"I'm sorry, but I really can't tell. How about I tell you some cool stories, to make up for it?"

"Hmpf. They better be good." Bonnie pouted.

Yeah… Black blades weren't exactly secret. And technically he COULD tell them...

It's just that most people tended to get nervous when they learned you had weapon that basically devoured your soul...

They talked for some more, exchanging stories, and Jaune explaining how to best deal with some of the more common Harrowed.

"Two minutes out." The pilot called over the intercom.

Butch turned to the rest of the bullhead.

"I hope you'll all humor an old man." He started, finding his feet. "I know we're not on official teams, but I'd like to cover a few things before we land." He touched his scroll. "We'll be on channel 3 if you need anything, if you wouldn't mind changing yours to the same, this old man can call on you if and when he gets in trouble."

Jaune knew he was anything but, and adjusted his comm channel. He could see Bonnie and Clyde doing the same.

"Bullhead response time is around thirty minutes, but give three shots in rapid succession and we'll find you quicker." He smiled at Jaune. "Any loud noise will do."

"Coming in for landing." The pilot called.

"See you all back at the Rest for a round after this." Butch finished.

Soon after they touched down, the first pair - the Butch and (as Jaune learned) his student, Sunny, left.

The remaining pair tried to bait him into telling the secret of his sword - but this was cut short when they reached his destination. He bid them farewell, and jumped off the bullhead.

_Ok, playtime is over. Time to go to work._

* * *

It took him long far longer to reach the edge of his target's territory than he expected.

_That was… a lot of Grimm. Not overwhelming, but more than I thought it would be._

He thought for a moment as he stopped to catch his breath.

_Now - should I go straight for cave, or check out the edges of its territory first?_

After brief consideration, he decided to investigate further. He stopped from time to time, to take closer look on some footprints, or claw marks on the trees.

_Judging by the footprints and claw marks, it's a Beowolf. A Ghoul would leave deeper marks…the footprints don't match either. So it has to be a little wolfie… or rather a biggie._

Yes, judging by all the traces he found, it was quite big for Beowolf - not abnormally so, but still big.

_But why would it leave these marks anyway?_ Thought Jaune, stopping before one such mark - four deep scars on the tree trunk.

_It's clearly marks its territory. But I've never heard of Beowolf doing this. Or any Grimm really - they tend to wander a lot after all._

After a second of thought Jaune took a few pictures of the marks on the tree, and some of the footprints. He sent them to Ozpin, together with his conclusion that it's most probably a very old Alpha Beowolf, and that he was going to look for cave now.

The reply from Ozpin came almost instantly.

" _Understood. Proceed with caution._ **"**

_I will, no need to tell me._

Finding the cave took him a lot longer than he thought it would. He stopped roughly fifty meters before the entrance, and hid behind a tree where he could observe the cave.

He checked his scroll.

_Almost 2 pm? It took longer than expected. Now should I go in, or wait?_

Thought struck him, and he sent a quick message to Ozpin. A few minutes later he received response - none of cameras caught beast since it hid in the cave.

_So it should be still inside. Maybe if I wait a bit it will come out? I'd prefer to fight it in the open._

After thirty or so minutes of nothing happening, Jaune decided that no, whatever was inside wouldn't make it easier on him by walking out of the cave.

That meant he had to go inside.

He knelt, took his backpack off, and started rummaging through it. After few seconds he pulled out a wooden box.

_Now, should I use them?_

He thought, opening the box and revealing several small bottles made of reinforced glass.

His greatest accomplishment, something even his teacher was surprised by. His masterpiece.

His elixirs.

.

.

.

_Just when did I start to call them that? Sure it's easier to say than 'Dust-augmented Herbal Aura Stimulants', but still…_

He shook his head, and focused on the task at hand.

_I will be fighting in a dark cave… so something for night vision… or maybe a hearing booster? If there wasn't any light to amplify, then night vision would be useless. What else… it will be tight in there, but that will hinder it more than me._

After few minutes of considering his options, he picked six bottles.

Two healing enhancers, - simple potions, that boosted the natural healing factor of one's Aura.

Two perception stimulants - they boosted hearing, touch, sense of smell, and the ability to perceive fast movements. The downside was the brief disorientation when consumed, hindered perception of colours, and a killer migrene that kicked in about a hour after consuming one.

The heart enhancer - despite what it did - was a relatively safe one. After drinking this potion Jaune could, with careful application of Aura, either hasten, or lower his heart rate. The first option was useful when he wanted to speed up the activation of some of the other potions. Second - if he wanted to do the opposite, or, as he learned in very painful way, to slow down bleeding if he ran out of healing enhancers, and help wasn't coming.

And lastly - Dusk. He hesitated a moment, considering if he really wanted to take this one with him.

Dusk was one of the most potent elixirs he'd ever created. The drawbacks were massive - the first time he used it, he passed out after just fifteen seconds, and woke up four days later. It took another two weeks before he could walk again. He'd also lost around three kilograms - just from the brief moment elixir was active.

After a second attempt, when he passed out after a whopping seventeen seconds, he'd abandoned these recipes as impractical. It knocked him out too fast, and he could barely do anything because of intense shock he was experiencing.

Only after discovering the Heart Enhancer, he came back to working on Dusk. The reason it was knocking him out was because it increased his heart rate too much. Now, with ability to control it, and after a lot of practice, Jaune could last for almost four minutes. He still lost consciousness most of the time - but only for few hours, and after day or two of rest he was fine. And the benefits it offered were well worth it.

It completely removed natural inhibitions and sense of pain. His reflexes were greatly increased, and, what was possibly the biggest benefit - he could see others' Aura. Not clearly - it was more of a pulsation of colour - but after some practice he learned how to use it to determine when someone is going to attack him, or if they were using their Semblance.

Overall, it was a good trump card.

_Heh, now that I think about it - if I can use stuff like that, 'you can drink potions' Semblance doesn't sound so bad._

Thought Jaune, putting box with the elixirs back to backpack and moving towards the cave.

_I really hope it's not too big. Don't want to spend whole day in a damp, dark cave, looking for some strange Beowolf that doesn't have decency to come out and die like any good Grimm._

He made it to entrance, looked inside, and after determining that no, his mark was not nice enough to sit there and wait for him, he he made to push onward.

His scroll ringing stopped him. He looked at the contact name, and took the call.

"Hey Butch, whats up?"

"Just wanted to tell you we finished with our Job. Bonnie and Clyde are done too. How about you? Need some backup?"

Jaune considered it for few moments. Backup sounded nice - it was always good to have someone watch your back. On the other hand…

"I think I'll pass. Need to investigate cave it's hiding in, and it looks pretty narrow. More people will just get in each other way."

"Got it. How long do you think it will take?

"No idea - depends how deep this damn cave goes, and how far our friend is hiding." He checked the time - it was 2:14 pm.

"Ok listen - give me like half an hour. If I don't find the bastard by then, I will send you a message, and you can take off without me."

"You sure? We can wait for longer."

"Yeah, no need for you to waste your whole day. I'll be fine - won't be first time I'm going solo."

"Ok. See you later."

At this the call ended. Jaune took deep breath and stepped into darkness.

* * *

_At least it's straight…_

He thought about two hours later. Or was it three? Jaune didn't really know. He always lost track of time in caves - one of reasons he didn't like them. And he couldn't check time on his scroll - not only that would have created an opening for monster to attack him, he already took a perception enhancer - the light from device would surely blind him for few seconds, and make it harder to re-adjust to darkness.

Just as the first signs of a migraine started to show up, Jaune picked up a new sound. He listened for few seconds - yeah that was the sound of claws scraping on stone.

Jaune smiled.

_Found you, asshole._

The sound was coming from further ahead - and seemed to be coming closer.

Eager to be done with his task, Jaune huried ahead. Which meant he took slightly less time probing the ground ahead before taking his next step.

He didn't have to go far - just a few steps ahead, after rounding one corner, he came upon a 'room' - about ten meters in diameter. In the middle of it was his mark - a massive Alpha Beowolf.

_Ok, show time._

Jaune smiled. Its back was turned to him, and it obviously hadn't noticed him yet.

_Perfect. Now all I have to do is approach carefully…should be able to take its head, or at least…_

Jaune ducked, and rolled to the side, feeling the wind from the beast's attack pass over his head.

_That son of a... CALM._

He ordered himself.

Jaune rolled back to his feet, drawing black sword, and stared at his opponent. It was on all fours now - and still towered over him.

_**Look. See**_ _._ The words of his master echoed in his mind.

Jaune barely had time to catch his balance when the beast lunged at him, forcing another dodge roll. This time Jaune found better footing as he reached his feet, so when beast come at him for a third time - he was ready. His black blade caught its arm just below the elbow, and even though he didn't manage to cut it off - damn bone plates got in the way - he still scored a deep cut.

_About 4,5 meters high - must be very old. No apparent crippling injuries - assume full fighting capability. Numerus wound marks on the arms and lower torso. Almost none at the upper or head._

He ducked under a clumsy backhand, and scored another deep cut - this time on the creature's chest.

_**Understand.** _

* * *

It tried to crush him with both hands, but he wasn't there anymore. It looked around, trying to find puny human who dared to challenge it in its own lair - only to catch glimpse of something darker than darkness of the cave moving towards it.

A hastily raised paw stopped the blade from biting into its neck - but there was nothing to stop it from separating said paw from the rest of the arm.

Beast let out a howl of pain - and challenge.

The intruder accepted it.

It tried to squash him - but he dodged and cut deep into the arm.

It tried to bite - but had to pull back when black blade slashed towards its neck.

It continued like that for few moments. The beast grew angrier and angrier - how could this puny human damage it so much? It wanted to kill him, to rend, and tear, and bite, and maul soft, warm flesh. To taste his fear and pain.

The only pain it tasted for now was its own - and it received another serving when the black sword pierced through its hind leg. It lashed out with its healthy paw - only to hit nothing but air, and earn another deep wound on the torso.

It was furious. It wanted to jump at intruder, to crush him - but it didn't. It had survived for a long time, and learned to watch, to observe, to adapt.

The intruder was slippery, and his black blade sharp and fast. So far every attack was dodged, and led to a new injury.

So it wouldn't attack. It will defend and wait - and when intruder will get inpatient it will strike and kill.

It raised it arms to cover head, it bowed a little to cover its torso. It started backing towards the wall - the intruder would have to come from the front. Then it would kill him.

It earned several more cuts - some deep - but its back finally hit the wall. Now to let the intruder attack.

It fell to one knee - on the wounded leg. It wasn't that serious a wound, but intruder would attack when he saw the opportunity - then it would kill him.

There! He is coming from the left - the same side as its injured leg. Now it would kill him, it would tear and rend, and taste his blood!

The beast lashed out with its arm - and the unprepared intruder couldn't dodge in time. Its claw buried itself in his flesh…

* * *

_It favors defense over offense._

Thought Jaune dodging claws going for his stomach and scoring another deep cut on the offending limb.

_But it has limited vision when covering its head. It's attacks are strong, but slow._

He ducked under another swipe, stabbing towards its neck.

The beast's head jerked back, its right arm coming up to stop the blade. It pierced deeply, but the beast didn't seem to mind. It tried to counter with it's healthy paw, but Jaune had already retreated.

_Will prioritize defending vitals, especially head, over everything else._

Another dodge, and another cut. A shallow one - but it would add up.

_**Plan.** _

_Don't rush, I'm faster than it. Unless I make mistake it shouldn't be able to catch me. Can't afford to drag this out though - it won't tire, I will._

He ducked under another swing, and jumped back when beast tried to "hug" him.

_Hit-and-run. Score as many hits as possible. Agitate it._

He buried his balde into beast armpit, before quickly retreating.

Jaune jumped back few more steps and looked at his opponent.

It was a mess.

His left leg was pierced - even though not too deeply, it was bound to reduce its mobility. Its right paw was cut off just above wrist. It's left arm was heavily wounded - Jaune was sure he could cut it off near the elbow with one good strike. And its whole body was covered with many cuts - some deep, some shallow, but all weakening the monster in front of him.

_When agitated, provoke attack. Cripple it's leg, then arms. Go behind, and..._

The beast took a low stance, almost kneeling on the ground. It's torso bowed low, It's arms covering its head.

Jaune took deep breath and let it out slowly.

_You just want to piss me off, don't you, doggy?_

Well, it didn't change anything. It was time to put last step of his teacher '5-step guide to fighting' into practice.

_**Kill.** _

* * *

How? How could it be?

The beast was furious. The human dodged its attacks - and had scored many more hits.

The beast was… feeling something new. It was weak now, but with every wound it grew stronger.

The beast didn't know what this feeling was, but it knew it didn't like it.

It was this human's fault - he needed to die. Then this feeling will go away.

For sure.

Yes, this intruder.. stumbled! There was its chance!

The beast lunged, its jaws spread wide, ready to finally taste flesh of this annoying human.

It tasted… cold.

* * *

_And that wraps it up._

Thought Jaune, pulling his sword out of the creature's maw.

_Stumble-and-stab. Works every time._

He smiled, turning towards exit.

_Never expected to see Grimm that favors defense over offense. Or one that tries to bait you._

_Heh, you did well for a Grimm, Doggy... I'd say 6/10._

Now that he was done, he could finally go out of this damn cave, and..

He hit the wall on the opposite side of room.

_What?! How?! But I…_

While his brain took on the monumental task of making some sense of the situation, his body took care of more mundane things, like hurting, aching, and hurting some more.

Oh, and keeping him alive.

Jaune dodged the next swipe on pure instinct, then rolled, to make more space between him and his attacker. Managing to push himself he looked ahead - straight at the Grimm he just killed.

_That's… not good._

He made to attack, but a sudden crack caught his attention. He looked down when another crack sounded - just in time to see growing fissure where he was standing.

_Oh, for fucks sake!_

He tried to jump to safety. He almost made it. Almost.

When he was falling, he couldn't help to noticed how smug the beast looked.

And how bright its eyes shone in darkness of the cave.

Green eyes.

_Fuck._

Was his last thought before his head hit rock, and he lost consciousness.

* * *

**Cr00cy: Well here it is. I wonder how many of you guessed what crossover it is?**

**Anyway on subject of Jaune's semblance. After a lot of talking it out with JJD I decided to let Jaune have his semblance unlocked - and stick to cannon one. But since we don't know much about it - I have to improvise a bit. So since in the show Jaune said that he didn't heal Weiss - but rather strengthened her Aura to heal her, I will go with that. He will be able to boost certain properties of Aura - like make it "harder" to block an attack, increase its healing factor, diminish the effects of toxins he might get affected with, or boost positive effects of medicines. It's the latter two that allows him to safely (well, mostly) use elixirs.**

**Oh and if you wonder how Jaune's little trip to Silver Lake went - read the omake.**

**JJD: I'm disappointed in all of you if no one picks up on the joke names.**

* * *

**Omake: "Family business"**

Jeffrey Falcon slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, he had killer headache, and his arms and legs didn't move properly. He tried to focus, but it was hard.

_What happened…_  he tried to recall what made him feel so terrible.

He went on date with that brunette with the nice ass. What was her name again? Claudie? Cristin? Something starting from 'c' anyway. He had been working on her for a week now, and was certain he would be able to… "reap fruits of his labor" rather soon.

_Heh, that's why I like country chicks. They are so easy…_

Ok, the date went well, but what happened next… Ah yes he went to grab some drinks, maybe scout out a new target. Then this blond guy came over. They started to talk… but he couldn't recall about what.

He noticed some of blurrs moving. They took a vaguely humanoid shape. He opened his mouth to speak… or at least tried to. It turned out his mouth didn't worked properly either - it felt like it was stuffed with something. The blurry shape moved close to him and spoke.

"Finally woken up, huh?"

He vaguely recognized the voice. But from where - he had no idea. Suddenly he could smell a herbal scent. The blobs of color in front of him spoke again.

"Breath deeply. This will make you feel better."

He did as he was told, and sure enough, the headache started to go away and his vision became more focused.

"Hello again Jeffrey." Said the blond boy in front of him. The same one who walked up to him in the bar. He was smiling, but somehow it didn't put him at ease.

He wanted to ask him what happened, but still couldn't. He tried to move, to do anything, but couldn't. A second later he realized a few things - very worrying things.

They were in the forest.

The only source of light was a small campfire nearby.

All his clothing except his underwear was gone.

He was tied to the tree and gagged.

The boy in front of him had a very sharp looking sword in his hand.

Jeffrey gulped. This was looking very bad.

"You know Jeffy… I can call you Jeffy right?" Jeffrey noded. "Great. So, I'll have to apologize to you Jeffy. I usually make more preparations for this kind of stuff. But unfortunatly I'm on scheudle here - had job in Vale, and have to be back before eight for meeting with another client. So unfortunately our talk will be bit rushed."

Jeffrey tried to say he wouldn't mind if the blond boy went to Vale to meet whoever he was supposed to meet, and come back to this 'talk' never.

"But where are my manners. I haven't introduced myself yet." The blond boy sat on log near the campfire.

"My name is Jaune Arc."

He pulled out photograph and threw it at Jeffrey feet. It featured him and some girl he vaguely recognized.

_Isn't this… Rowin? Rebin?_ He couldn't recall the girl's name - not that it mattered. She was a bit too flat for his tastes, but was also so naive he was sure he could easily score with her.

_Rubin! That was her name. Rubin A…_

He gasped in terror.

"You hurt my sister."

Jeffrey tried to free himself but rope he was tied with held strong.

"I hope you are prepared for the consequences."

Jaune rose from his seat and walked to Jeffrey, sword in hand.

"Tell me Jeffy, do you value tradition?"

He nodded desperately.

Jaune smile grew. Somehow this did nothing to stop the rising panic the tied teen felt.

"That's great! I do too." He sheathed sword and pulled out a very sharp looking knife. "It's great how we, civilized people, can easily come to an agreement, right?"

Jeffrey nodded again.

"Since we both like tradition, how about we solve this in a traditional way?" The blond boy asked, and, not waiting for any answer from his companion, continued.

"You see there was once this beautiful tradition here in Vale, that when guy was caught trying to… disrespect woman, they took him to the forest…" He spread his arms, as if to point that yes, they were in the forest.

"Gave such man sharp knife…" At this he put said tool into Jeffrey hand.

_So what, he will say I'll have to free myself before Grimm find me, and never show myself here again? This might not be so bad…_

Jaune smile looked like the Devil might had when you just signed away your soul.

"And nailed said guy to tree by his balls. If he wanted to free himself - he had to cut them off."

Jeffrey started to struggle even more.

_Things ARE bad. They are very, VERY bad!_

"Nowadays they don't nail it anymore…" Jaune said wishfully. Then he looked at his prisoner and smiled again. "But since we both like tradition so much we can bring this one back, right buddy?"

Jeffrey had stinking suspicion his answer didn't really matter.

"Unfortunately in all this hurry I forgot to bring hammer. So wait a bit for me, ok?"

As soon as Jaune walked out of sight Jeff started cutting ropes that bound him.

_Like hell I'm going to wait, you psycho! I'm getting the hell out of here!_

A few moments later he was free. The only problem was that he was not sure which way safety lay.

He looked around for a few moments and noticed lights between the trees. Unfortunately, they lay in the same direction the Arc went.

_Not like I have much choice. Gotta get to my hotel room, grab my things and leave this shithole._

When he reached outskirts of town he paused. He could see the landing platform for bullheads from where he was. Maybe it would be better to just grab some clothes there, and pay someone to fy him out of here. Then he recalled he didn't have any money on him.

He turned back towards the city - and fell when a root caught his foot. When he got up, someone was standing in front of him. He couldn't see much because of the darkness - but he could see a pair of blue eyes.

Panic froze him in place.

"Hey kid, you a'right? Ya not look well."

Jeffrey nearly collapsed from realief. This was a different voice, and silhouette he could make out in the darkness, was bigger than Jaune.

"Y-yeh.. Some guy kidnaped me and tied me to the tree! He took all my clothes and threatened he would nail me to the tree!"

The man in front of him laughed.

"Eh, don't ya worry city-boy. S'me folks 'ust played with ya a bit."

"They played by kidnaping me, and tying me to tree in the middle of the forest?! What if Grimm would have found me?!"

Man laughed again.

"T'ere's no Grimm a'ound 'ere boy. So many retired 'unters, they cull any that shows up."

Jeffrey started to calm down. The man motioned for him to follow, and they started to walk towards the airport.

"Come 'ere city-boy. I'll give ya some spare clothes."

"So, this was just some prank? Still a bit extreme…"

They closed on the Bullhead docks and he could now see his companion more cleary. He was older man, probably in his mid forties. He had brown hair, muscular body, and a pair of dog ears.

_Good, that Arc guy was definitely human, so they are probably not related…_

"Ya prolly hit on wrong lasse… S'mes sister, or 'omething."

"Yah, he said something like that."

The man laughed.

" 'appens all the time a'ound 'ere. City-folk comes, thinks he can hit 'ometing easy. And folk 'ere are mostly 'unters, so they can get rough… But no one will kill ya, so relax."

They made they way to a small boulding near landing platform. The older man pointed to a sofa for him to sit, and started rummaging through lockers in one corner.

"So who was it?"

Jeffrey looked at him quizzically.

"That lasse who ya get in t'oble for?

"Rubin A…" A big, slightly dirty hand clamped over his mouth. A look of panic on his companion's face stopped him from complaining.

"Ya, hit on lil Rubin?!" He hissed. Jeffrey nodded.

"And Arc caught ya? How'd ya get out alive?!"

_Wait, what did he mean by that? Didn't he say it was just prank?!_

The older man removed his hand and looked around nervously.

"Never 'ought old Arthur would let someone walk away… Ya one lucky 'astard, kid."

"Arthur? Guy who got me said his name was Jaune."

His companion looked at him for few seconds. Then he jumped to the wall, turned off the lights. Then went and closed the curtains over all windows.

"Ya need to run! Old Arthur would let it go, but Jaune…" He shuddered "He likes to see 'em run. He won't let go, boy's more vicious than a Beowolf!"

Jeffrey could feel his panic come back - twice as strong.

"Lisen ladde - I'll fly to Vale in just a bit. I can put ya in cargo - would be rough ride, but ya'll live."

Jeffrey just nodded and followed the older man. It looked like it was his only chance to get out of here alive…

* * *

_And that wraps it up…_ Though Jaune, observing his newest buddy following the other man to hangar.

_Too bad I couldn't 'talk' with him more... But that will have to do._

He stretched and started walking towards the plane that would take him back to Vale.

_Damn I wish I could visit home. But there is no way the girls would let me go so fast._

He shrugged and tried to find some comfortable place to sit between the cargo of starting plane.

* * *

Jeffrey walked into box his companion pointed to. It was long and narrow - he had to lay down to fit. But it was surprisingly comfortable inside - instead of hard wood, he laid on something soft. The clothing he got was nice too - not some worker rags, but a rather nice suit.

_What are the odds I'd meet a pilot transporting supplies for one of the most famous clothing stores in Vale?_ He thought. It was too dark to see anything - the pilot explained boxes here were supposed to be already checked, so they couldn't turn the lights on, so as to not draw any attention.

"Ya never know when Arcs are watching." He said. This sounded just a bit too paranoid for Jeffrey. But after his last encounter with the family - he was willing to accept it.

_But I wonder.. What are these boxes?_  He thought before his savior closed the lid over him.

* * *

_And that wraps it up…_ though Hoff Tagar. His brother Jeff called informing him the young Arc would be in the city to have a 'talk' with some city-boy. And that Grandmother wanted to see him after Jaune was done.

_I almost feel sorry for ya, kid._

He sat in pilot chair, relaxing before the long flight

_At least ya already packed…_ He thought, seeing as workers started to load his cargo. He wondered how they would react if they found out one of the coffins already had an occupant.


	5. Old Friends, New Friends

**Welcome to ch 4 of TPA! Like always JJD mercilessly hunted down all my grammar mistakes.**

* * *

**CH 4: Old Friends, New friends.**

_There was only fire. It washed over him, and underneath him and covered everything. The only thing he could feel was the intense heat. The only thing he could see were the bright red and orange flames. And a female figure in the center of this inferno. She reached one hand towards him, and opened her mouth to speak._

_But the voice he heard did not come from her - but from the flames. It surrounded him, just like fire, and burned even hotter. Only three words. But they hurt more than any wound._

" _You are late."_

* * *

Jaune Arc woke up with a gasp. It took him a few seconds to recall where he was, why he couldn't see a thing, and why every part of his body hurt like hell.

He started to push away the rocks that had fallen on top of him, then pushed himself to a sitting position, one hand covering his face. His skin felt hot - the effect of the dream he just had.

_Hadn't had that one in few weeks… Why now?_

He stood up, and had to lean against the wall when his vision swam.

_Probably all that talk on bullhead about graduation stirring up old memories…_

Heartshatter Ridge was supposed to be just a single stop on his journey back to Vale. Just a place to get something to eat, and a chance to sleep under a roof. A conversation overheard in the local pub had changed all that.

_Ok, no time for that._ He thought, recalling what had happened.

_So I fought that Gri- Harrowed… the damn floor cracked open, and I fell. Must have gotten knocked out when I hit my head. I wonder why it didn't finish me?_

The answer became obvious when he looked up.

_Looks like the hole was too small for it._

He looked around. The hole he fell through was rather small, and damp, courtesy of several small streams running through it.

_Well, looks like only way out is to climb. Guess it's better that way - I'd rather backtrack, than wander around in an unknown cave._

It wasn't a long climb - only 5 meters or so. The walls were slippery, but he didn't have too much trouble finding support for his legs and hands.

_Now the big question - is it waiting for me up there?_

When Jaune almost reached edge of hole he fell through, he paused to catch his breath. And listen. After a few seconds of hearing only the sound of his own breathing, he considered his options.

_I can't see much, the perception enhancer effects must be wearing off. So I better not wait too long - if that bastard is waiting for me, I'd prefer to not fight it blind._

He took a few deep breaths, grabbed the edge of hole, and pushed himself up, instantly rolling to the side. He jumped to his feet, sword at the ready, prepared to dodge an incoming attack.

He needn't have bothered - the room was empty.

Jaune spent some time looking around the cave. Nothing caught his interest - beside three corridors. One of them turned out to be dead end, the second lead deeper into cave.

_So what now? Should I go further? Or should I go back and report to Ozpin? How long I was out anyway?_

In the end, Jaune decided to go back. He felt tired, and with the enhancer effect wearing off, he would need to take another to keep going. And that was risky - taking two strong elixirs one after another was bound to have some serious side effects.

The trip back took him a lot of time - he was extra careful to not run into any traps, even though the corridors were mostly narrow and relatively straight. When he was almost out of the cave, he pulled his scroll and called Ozpin.

""Yes Mr. Arc?"

"We have a problem." The older man just raised an eyebrow, so Jaune continued. "Found my target in this cave - it really was an Alpha Beowolf - quite a big one at that. It was very defensive, even tried to bait me into attacking. But beside that, there was nothing unusual about it - that is until I killed it."

"What happened then?"

"It got back up."

Ozpin looked genuinely surprised for once.

"It… got up?" Jaune nodded. Ozpin stared at him for few seconds, then shook his head.

"Pardon me Mr. Arc, but I have to ask. Are you sure the beast was dead?"

In any other situation Jaune would have felt offended by the question. Now he just took a deep breath and answered.

"I stabbed it in its maw, blade pierced its head, damaging the brain and spine - if it even had them. Anyway, I'm sure it was mortal wound - killed my fair share of Grimm that way. I even saw it starting to dissolve before turning back."

"So, it was Harrowed?"

Jaune nodded.

"Only explanation I can think of. But it didn't have any distinctive traits. It looked exactly like an Alpha Beowolf. It might have been responsible for it's strange behavior - if it boosted its intelligence, or survival instinct."

"So it was some type of Aberration…"

"Yes, but not any that I've heard of. A Parasite-type would deform it heavily, plus it wouldn't be able to keep it alive after an attack like that. Larva would burst out after it's death, and attack me… Puppeteer would cling to its back or head, so I would have noticed…. It might be some smaller version…"

"You sure there was nothing unusual about its appearance? Something we might identify it by?"

"No… Wait." Jaune paused. He felt like he was forgetting something. Something he saw, something unusual. Just before he fell...or maybe when he was already falling? Something was there, right in front of his…

"Eyes…"

"Excuse me?" asked Ozpin.

"Its eyes - they were green. But I'm almost sure they were red until I 'killed' it."

Ozpin considered it for a few seconds.

"I see…" He said finally. "Consider your mission over, Mr. Arc. I'll forward you coordinates for your extraction. You will be taken to Beacon, and after a medical check-up, I will expect a more detailed report."

"What about the Harrowed?"

"We will discuss the matter when we meet."

"Understood."

It took him only 20 minutes to reach the designated location. The trip was uneventful - save for a single Ursa, that had the courtesy to act like a Grimm should - that is to charge at him without care for its own life, and stay dead after Jaune decapitated it.

There were no Bullhead in sight when he arrived, so Jaune sat under tree, closed his eyes, and started to analyze the fight in the cave.

_Could I have missed somehow? No, I could feel blade pass through its skull. I could see it start to dissipate…didn't I? It's hard to say for sure, but I'm sure I saw some kind of smoke flow from its body. Did I miss something that would hint at it being Harrowed? I don't think so - the only thing out of norm was its behavior. And its eyes - but that was only after I killed its host… But none of the control-type Aberrations that I know of could move a dead body AND not leave any visible marks…_

Jaune starting massaging his temple.

"Ok, let's start from beginning." He said a loud sigh this time.

"Am I sure there were no physical traits suggesting it was Harrowed?" He paused to think about it for few seconds.

"Yes. It looked exactly like Alpha Beowolf. If there were anything unusual about it, it looks like it was so small that I couldn't spot it."

"So what was unusual? It's behavior - it clearly preferred to go solo. It fought very defensively. It marked its territory." Jaune paused at this. Its territory… there was something about it… Well besides the fact that most Grimm don't  _have_  territory.

His eyes widened.

"That's right! There were no Grimm in its territory. I didn't check all of it, but it wasn't that big… and I wandered for quite a bit in there. And there was no sign of any Grimm."

That was another confirmation it was Harrowed. Little known fact was that, for some reason, Grimm and Harrowed avoided each other. Grimm would usually avoid entering Harrowed territory, and Harrowed usually avoided nesting in areas with high Grimm population.

Sadly this didn't give any hints on  _what_  kind of Harrowed it was.

Jaune sighed. This was going nowhere.

"Whatever it was, it looked just like an Alpha Beowolf…"

And then it struck him. It  _looked_  like an Alpha Beowolf.

"What if this wasn't some control-type Harrowed, but rather a shape-shifting one? I've never heard of anything like that - but that doesn't mean one couldn't have been hiding somewhere. Maybe the smoke I was seeing was it just changing its form, or maybe it just did it to distract me."

Any other musings were interrupted by the roar of bullhead engines. A few moments later, the machine landed in the clearing Jaune was waiting in.

The flight to Beacon was short one. When he left the bullhead, he immediately was approached by the blond woman who had accompanied Ozpin earlier.

"Welcome back Mr. Arc," she said extending her hand, which he took. "I'm Glynda Goodwitch," she introduced herself.

_Heh, called it. I wonder if she knows she's giving all the male students complexes...probably._

"Headmaster is currently occupied with the welcome ceremony for students. He will be available in about half an hour. In the meantime, please come with me for a medical check-up."

Jaune made to protest, but thought better of it. If they wanted to give him free medical attention, who was he to argue?

The check ups didn't lasted long - nurse said he was fine, but low on Aura. She mentioned the unusual coloration of his pupils, and traces of some strange substances in his blood. He hurried to assure it was just side-effect of his semblance.

_Gotta love that excuse. No matter how strange the shit you do is, people will accept it as soon as you say "semblance."_

After the check ups, Glynda led him through the corridors of Beacon to the tallest tower in campus. They entered the elevator, and soon, Jaune was looking at the Headmaster of Beacon's office.

It was quite impressive. Spacious, albeit sparsely decorated. The big desk sitting near the wall-high windows giving a nice view of Vale.

Oh and cogs. Lots, and lots of cogs. Both the floor and ceiling were covered in some see-through material, and underneath it, Jaune could see multiple cogs of various sizes. When Glynda led him to the desk, and pointed to one of chairs for him to sit, he noticed that the desktop was also filled with cogs too. They all moved constantly, letting out a sound not dissimilar that of a clock.

_It's like I'm inside gigantic… clock? Some kind of machine anyway. I wonder if all these cogs do something, or if they are just for decoration._

A few moments later, the Headmaster entered the room. They greeted each other, and after a few pleasantries, Ozpin asked for a detailed report of Jaune's mission.

He started from the moment he left bullhead, mentioning again the marks his target left at the edges of its territory. He added his observations on the high population of Grimm outside of it, and the complete lack of any sign of them inside.

"Interesting…" said Ozpin after Jaune concluded his report with his earlier assumption - that it might be a shape-shifting Harrowed.

"Have you ever encountered a similar Harrowed?" The older man asked.

Jaune shook his head.

"No, I haven't even heard of one. Tried to contact my teacher, but he was out of range for scroll communication."

"Are you sure it wasn't a control-type?"

Jaune shook his head again.

"I can't say anything for certain. Only that it didn't look like any Harrowed I know of. Plus it's behavior was unusual even for a Harrowed - it's true they are more intelligent than Grimm, but this one… it was far too clever, and too defensive. They usually are more aggressive, especially if you wound them. They start to run only if they're seriously injured or outnumbered."

"I see…" The Headmaster seemed to consider something for few seconds. "Well, we can't do anything about it for now. I'll send a few Hunters in the forest to try and track it, but ever since your report, we haven't catch even a glimpse of it on any of our cameras." He pushed his glasses up on his face. "Now, let's discuss other matters."

Ozpin took a long sip from mug he was holding, then spoke again.

"As I said, we watched your performance - and I must say that I am quite impressed. While it is a shame we couldn't see you fight more formidable opponents than a few Beowolves, and a single Ursa, what we saw is enough to allow you attend initiation."

Jaune just nodded.

_YYEEEESSSSSS!_

"As such you will join rest of the students in the ballroom. You will spend night there, and then join the rest of the students on the Beacon cliffs tomorrow mooring. Please take this," he said, handing Jaune a black scroll with a Beacon logo on it.

"This scroll will have all the required information sent to it - a map of Beacon, lesson schedule, and so on. It will also serve as a key to your dorm when you get assigned one. It has a few other functions as well - all of them are listed in the "Student's Guide" folder. Any questions?"

"No… I don't think so" said Jaune.

_Holy shit, I'm about to go to Beacon!_

"Very well. Please follow Miss Goodwitch - there are some formalities you have to see to. And Mr. Arc?" Jaune, who was already turning towards door looked back to the older man. "Welcome to Beacon." He said extending his hand.

Jaune shook it, and this time didn't fight the smile that appeared on his lips.

* * *

Glynda led him to a small room labeled as the "staff room." It looked like a normal office - a few bookshelves, two chairs, and a simple desk.

"First of all, allow me to congratulate you Mr. Arc." She said when they both took they seats. "It's not everyday we accept someone in such an… unusual matter."

Jaune just smiled and thanked her for the compliment. Glynda handed him few forms to fill and sign on. He did so - after reading them carefully.

" _Never sign paper you haven't read and understood, that's how you lose your damn soul,"_ was one of first lessons his teacher had taught him.

"Very well. There is just one more matter we have to discuss." She said after taking the papers from him. "All our students have their own lockers assigned to them, where they store their battle equipment. Unfortunately, due to your rather sudden acceptance, we don't have one ready for you just yet. That's why I have to ask you to hand over your weapons."

Jaune tensed, his hand falling to the hilt of Crocea Mors. Handing your weapons over was usually ill-advised in his line of work.

_It's ok Jaune. Calm down. No one is going to attack you. It's just safety measure. Bunch of hormonal teenergers with superpowers and combat training bundled in an enclosed space is bad enough - no sane person would add weapons to the mix. So calm down, stop staring at her as if you planning to murder her, and hand your weapons over. Oh, and stop planning how to murder her while you're at it._

After a few deep breaths, he let go of the weapon, and stopped analyzing how to best act if the woman in front of him attacked. It took him several more to hand both of his swords to Glynda.

Judging by how she smiled at him, she knew exactly what was going through his head - and was used to it.

After he left Glynda in her office, he made his way to the cafeteria, grabbed something to eat, and then made his way to ballroom. He was grinning the whole way.

_This is happening!_ He thought.

_This is really happening. I'm going to Beacon. I'm AT Beacon. There is still initiation to pass, but it can't be worse than some of the shit Leon put me through._

Jaune grinned even harder when he stood at the door to the ballroom.

_Beacon, here I come!_

He pushed door open, and entered the room.

* * *

Yang turned her head as she caught sight of someone entering the ballroom, and spotted him.

Jaune Arc, still dressed in full combat armor, looking as awkward as can be.

_That's the bartender from the Rest, what's he doing here? He never mentioned coming to Beacon._

The boy's eyes darted around the room, taking in the mass assembly of Hunters-to-be.

_God, he looks nervous. I wonder why he's so late? Did he take some other kind of exam to get in?_

The knight shuffled his way around the other students and muttered apologies as he went.

Suddenly, watching the young knight, inspiration struck her. She knew how to kill two birds with one stone.

"Hey Ruby, there's someone I want you to meet." She exclaimed excitedly.

"I don't know Yang, I kinda just want to-GAH!" Ruby yelped as her sister grabbed her arm and pulled her along.

The weaved through the other students till they reached the tall blond.

"Hey there Ladykiller!" She grinned at the boy. "Long-time no see."

He smiled back at her. "How's it going Yang, still causing trouble?"

She placed a hand over her chest in mock flattery. "So, you do remember me! It's just that you don't call, you don't write...a girl doesn't give her scroll number to everyone, you know?"

"Oh...it's just, uh...I've been staying busy. Haven't really had time to talk to anybody." He tried to explain.

"Oooohhhh, still rocking that man of mystery vibe, huh? I like it."

_Dammit, where's Mai when I need her!_  He thought.

"Yaaannngggg." A voice behind the beautiful blond called. "Did you drag me over here just to watch you flirt with this guy."

Jaune leaned to the side so he could peak around Yang, and saw a very young looking, very short red-head standing uncomfortably behind her.

_How old is she?_

"Oh, hello there." He offered.

She gave him a nervous smile and a small wave. "Hey."

"Jaune, I'd like you to meet my little sister Ruby." She wrapped the younger girl in a hug and began tossing her from side to side. "Isn't she just adorable!?"

"Yang! Let go!" Ruby cried as she pushed off her sister. "You're embarrassing me!"

Jaune chuckled at their antics, thinking about his own sisters. "Trust me Ruby, it never gets better."

Yang elbowed the younger girl. "Guess how many sisters he has?"

"Um, three?"

The knight sighed. "Seven."

"SEVEN!?" The girl exclaimed.

"Yep." He confirmed.

Yang just laughed, and threw an arm around the boy. "So, you know he's house-trained at this point. Also, makes a mean Strawberry Sunrise." She pointed a finger at her sister. "These are important traits in a man Ruby. In ten to fifteen years, when you have my permission to date, they're things you should look for."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks mom."

"Thanks...I guess?" Jaune said.

Yang thumped him on the chest. "No problem, tall, blond, and mysterious. Why are you loaded for bear anyway?"

Jaune looked down his armor. "How did you know it was Bear HIDE?"

Yang looked like she was about to ask him a question, before an excited voice cut in.

"OH. MY. GOD. You have HIDE armor!?" The young redhead shouted.

There was an explosion of rose petals as Ruby disappeared, and began zipping around Jaune, poking and prodding his armor as she went.

"Ruby you need to calm down! We're not supposed to be walking around right now!" Yang admonished.

The younger girl bounced up in down in place. "I'm sorry, but I've only ever read about it!"

Yang sighed. "I know I'm going to regret this, but...what is HIDE armor?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Her sister said with a grin. "HIDE is High Impact Distribution Equipment. It's Atlas tech, but NO ONE outside of Atlas Specialist have it." She excitedly pointed at Jaune's armor. "See the plates he's wearing on his chest and arms? It's an insanely strong alloy, and beneath those is a scale and fiber-mesh weave that distributes the impact of anything - bullets, Grimm claws, blades - across the body. I've even heard that it assist with Aura distribution, easing the wear on the user!"

Jaune smiled at the hyper girl. "It does. You've got quite an eye. This is the Bear variant. There's four total that I know about. Cat, the infiltration variant - Wolf, light infantry type - Bear, if you get hit too much like me, and need a little something extra - and Gryphon, which is some real end of the world, shock trooper type stuff."

"That's so cool!"

Yang rolled her eyes and muttered. "Nerds."

Ruby ignored her. "Where'd you get it?"

"I did some...contracting work for the SDC a while back, and did pretty well I guess. They ended up giving me the set as a bonus after I completed the job." He explained.

He thought he saw Ruby wince a little at the mention of the SDC.

Yang whistled. "Look at you, high paying job and fancy duds, trying to impress the ladies." She waved a finger in his face. "Just know that Ruby's off limits."

_God she moves fast, this is exhausting._

"Right." He said slowly. "I'm not really looking at the moment, so I think we'll be ok."

She smirked. "Got your eye on someone already, huh?"

"Yeah." The answer left his mouth before he could think about it.

She winked at him. "Then you should return those scroll calls."

_What. Is. Happening!?_

A strict voice saved him from himself.

"Student candidates!" A stern-looking blond woman with glasses and a short cape called. "It's lights out."

"Sorry ma'am." He responded, and began following the sisters over to the sleeping area.

Yang nudged him as they walked. "He's got manners too? Mr. Professional over here..."

He sighed, shook his head, and made a beeline for an open spot on the wall.

Yang turned back to her sister as he walked away. "What'd you think Rubes?"

"He seems nice!" The younger girl said excitedly as she settled into her sleeping bag.

Yang laid back and smiled contently.

Ruby had just made her first friend at Beacon.

* * *

_Ok Jaune, deep breaths. Everything is ok, no one is going to attack you. This is the most prestigious school in Vale, not some run-down inn in some shithole of civilization. No one will try to rob you, or kill you, or rape you, or all three at the same time. So just calm down._

Was what Jaune was saying to himself after finding a quiet spot in the corner, with his back to wall, a good view on doors, and as many windows as possible. Coming back to civilisation after long trips to the Wilds always required an adjustment period. He usually was ok with his family and friends, but standing in middle of a crowd unarmed always made him nervous. Doubly so if said crowd was gathered in an enclosed space, or contained trained fighters.

After calming himself down a bit, Jaune took stock of his surrounding. It was getting late, and most people were either asleep, or lying in they sleeping bags chatting quietly with friends. He didn't had any sleepwear, but it didn't bothered him. He used to sleep in worse conditions, and his armor was far more comfortable than people thought.

His eyes drifted back to Yang and her sister. That was a surprising encounter - though it probably shouldn't have be. After all, the blond bombshell did mentioned she was huntress-in-training. And her sister was, in fact, adorable.

_Heh, she reminds me of Rubin. Just as adorable as her. But I think she is even more energetic…_

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

_And dangerous._

Yes, Ruby Rose was most definitely a dangerous person. Everyone in this room was - but she was younger than anyone here, and she still got accepted to Beacon.

_I wonder how she fights? She has rather small body, even for someone her age. Probably relies on speed and agility… What weapon would she use? Some type of polearm? It would give her range, and if she is quick enough on her feet, she could stay out of harm's way. With such delicate build, I doubt she could take too many hits. That's not counting her semblance - whatever it is._

He looked over several more people, trying to guess their fighting styles and weapons. This was a little mental game he was used to playing. He might not be able to accurately guess every time, but it was making him better at reading people.

His little game came to an end when the lights were turned off.

_Oh well, I guess it's time to sleep. Not a bad idea either - it was a long day, and it would be embarrassing as hell if I failed initiation._

He closed his eyes, and sleep found him almost instantly. Thankfully, it was a dreamless one..

* * *

Jaune awoke at dawn. He looked around, noticing most of the students were still sleeping. After some brief consideration, he decided to visit the cafeteria.

After a light meal, he wandered around Beacon for a bit. He visited Glynda's office, hoping he could get his weapons back, but it was closed. Instead he decided to make a call.

He found himself a nice place under a tree in Beacon' gardens and selected the number. They picked up almost instantly.

"Hi Tob."

"Hey Jaune, what's up? I heard you had some trouble with your job?"

_Of course he heard._

"Yeah, some strange Harrowed showed up. But I'm fine, no need to worry."

"So where are you staying? Mei was quite worried when you didn't come home last night."

"At Beacon. Turns out Leon pulled some favors, and convinced Ozpin to give me a chance to apply outside of the normal system."

"Really? That's surprising"

_Like hell it is. You had part in it too, you Old Bear, I'm sure of it._

"Yeah, anyway, I'm here, waiting for initiation to start. Decided to call, since I woke up early."

"Rough night?"

"Not more than usual, when I'm coming back from Wilds. Was a bit tense when they took my weapons, but it wasn't that bad."

"Good to hear. Want to talk to Mei?"

Jaune almost said yes. Almost.

"Maybe later, after initiation. I have only like half an hour before it starts, and I still need grab my swords."

"Ok, but make sure you call. She was worried about you."

"Sure thing. See you later Tob."

"Later, Jaune."

He ended the call, and made to walk back to Glynda's office. The buzzing of his scroll stopped him. He opened it and noticed one new message - from Glynda no less. It turned out his weapons were placed in locker. The message also contained the number and access code for said locker.

_Well, that saves me a trip to her office. Off to the locker room it is then._

* * *

The locker room wasn't hard to find - all he needed to do was follow the crowd. As soon as he entered, Ruby appeared before him in cloud of rose petals, gushing over his HIDE armor. He noticed she was armed already - but couldn't make out what kind of weapon it was. He almost asked. Thankfully, he noticed Yang frantically shaking her head. He looked back to the very excited girl before him, recalled her reaction to his armor and put two and two together.

"Sorry Ruby, it was nice talking to you, but I still have to get my weapons."

"Oh… ok." She deflated a bit, but perked up soon after. "What weapons do you use anyway? Can we…" thankfully he was rescued from the over-enthusiastic girl by Yang, who started to wheel her off in the other direction. He nodded in thanks and went to look for his locker.

_It should be around…_ He paused when he noticed a pair of girls - one white-haired and wearing a dress just as white, other red-haired and clad in what looked to be bronze armor. He recognized one of the girls instantly.

_Well, beats me. What are the odds of meeting her here? Can't pass up this chance._

Smiling, he marched towards her.

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos sighed internally. So far Beacon was… not what she hoped. Sure, there was less people here who recognized her instantly, and gushed over her fame, but they were definitely still there.

She focused back on girl in front of her. Weiss Schnee didn't even try to hide the fact that she was approaching her because of her fame. And skill. Pyrrha appreciated her honesty - the heiress wanted to make strong team because she liked to excel. But it wasn't what Pyrrha wanted. She wanted to be on a team that saw Pyrrha Nikos, not the four time tournament champion.

_Maybe I'm approaching it the wrong way? If I join up with someone famous, they won't care about my fame that much, right?_

She noticed some movement behind heiress' back and looked up - just in time to see a blond haired boy looking at them. He paused for a moment, then his eyes widened in recognition.

Pyrrha winced internally.

_Great, another fan. I wonder what he will do. Ask for autograph? Brag about his skill? I hope he won't try to hit on me, that would be embarrassing._

The boy was now walking towards her, a confident smile on his lips.

_At least it doesn't look like he will be the aggressive type._

Pyrrha put on her well-practiced smile, and prepared to be as polite as possible. Afterall, it wasn't his fault she was famous. It was normal to want to talk to your idol when you saw them. Maybe if he turned out to be nice she could…

"Hi, there W _ice_."

Pyrrha blinked.

Weiss Schnee whipped around.

"J-Jaune?"

The blond boy, now named Jaune, smiled.

"One and the same, Snow Angel."

Weiss shook her head.

"I told you to not call me that, you dunce."

It was at this moment Pyrrha realized he wasn't there to talk to her…

"My sincere apologies." He said with a mock bow. "I was just wondering what Your Snowness is doing in place like this, mingling with plebeians?"

"Oh my, is it so hard to figure out why a Huntress-in-training comes to combat academy?" She smirked at him. "Has your intellect dropped even further since last time we met?"

Wasn't even  _looking_  at her.

"Nah, just surprised to see Ice Princess so far from her domain. Or..." he narrowed his eyes, "did you take my advice?"

_Could it be?_ Thought Pyrrha.

"Hmph. What possible advice could a caveman like you could give me that would have any merit?" She made a show of turning her nose up at him.

Pyrrha gasped at that. This.. Jaune? Was quite nice, bar the strange nicknames. Why was Weiss so rude…

"I just decided some change of scenery would be nice. And to show people in Vale that a Schnee can excell anywhere".

"Oh, I'm sorry your Royal Iceness. Allow this simple caveman to crawl back under his rock." said Jaune bowing his head.

Weiss raised her chin, pulled her lips, and made a dismissive gesture with her hand.

"I shall allow this."

There was moment of silence. Pyrrha tried her best to figure out what the hell was happening in front of her. Just as she was ready to speak up for boy's sake, both he and the heiress burst into laughing.

"It's good to see you again Jaune." Said Weiss, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Likewise. But seriously, what are you doing here? Beside pestering people?" He said, nodding towards Pyrrha.

The heiress gasped.

Pyrrha steeled herself.

_Moment of truth. He didn't paid any attention to me earlier, but that might be because he saw an old friend._

"I'm so sorry!" Said Weiss turning back to her. "Allow me to introduce," she pointed towards smiling boy in front of her "Jaune Arc - he is an old friend of mine. Jaune - this is Pyrrha Nikos. I'm sure you've heard of her."

_Please, be 'no'._

"Of course I have!" He said, shifting nervously.

Pyrrha could feel a small spark of hope that blossomed in her chest wither away and die.

Weiss stared at boy for a few seconds, then sighed.

"You have no idea of who she is, do you?"

_Please be yes, please be yes…_

Jaune rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"No…"

_YES! YES! YES!_

Weiss opened her mouth to speak, not noticing Pyrrha's pleading gaze.

_Don't say anything, please, just dont say anything, don't ruin this for me. Oh please, I beg you don't…_

"She won the Mistralian regional tournament."

Boy looked at her with vague interest.

"Oh. You must be pretty good."

"Four times in row."

"Oh. You must be very good."

Pyrrha was cheering internally.

Weiss looked determined to find  _something_  that would make the boy recognize the world-wide know celebrity in front of him.

"Her face is on every Pumpkins Pete's flakes box."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, I know those. My younger sisters love them."

Heiress stared at him for few moments, then just sighed.

"Why am I even trying…"

She turned to Pyrrha.

"My apologies. Jaune spends a lot of time in… less civilized parts of Remnant. And is not biggest fan of… entertainment fighting."

"Hey, that's not true. It's just that I don't believe being successful in tournaments means one is a good Hunter..."

He looked at Pyrrha.

"No offense."

She smiled.

"None taken. I too believe there is much difference between fighting someone in arena, and fighting Grimm."

"Speaking of fighting… could you please move a bit?"

Pyrrha looked at him quizzically.

"You're blocking my locker."

"Oh!" She jumped back few steps "I'm sorry!"

Jaune just smiled, and nodded. When he strapped his weapons to his waist, Pyrrha couldn't help but stare.

_He uses...two swords?_ She narrowed her eyes. Dual Wielding people weren't rare, but it didn't look like Jaune was one of them.

_One of them looks like an arming sword… but other is clearly a longsword. I'm sure he is strong enough to use it one-handed, but it wouldn't be too effective. Maybe he combines them into bow, or something like that?_

Her musings were interrupted by Glynda's voice announcing all first years should gather at Beacon's cliffs.

_Oh well. I guess I'll find out when I see him in action._

Pyrrha smirked. She had this strange feeling she might end up on the same team as Jaune. After all, no one denied the goddess of victory.

* * *

The scenery was beautiful. The green of the forest was spread far and wide. A few towering mountains only added to to breathtaking view.

_This… is actually quite nice._

Yes - beautiful view, nice weather, wind in his hair. All of this made Jaune feel at ease.

Despite the fact he was now flying at high speed over Grimm-infested forest - courtesy of Ozpin's launch pads. And he had no parachute.

_Who the hell goes with this as initiation? Can you imagine if someone didn't have their Aura unlocked?_

He drew Crocea Mors and expanded his shield, raising it in front of him, in an effort to kill off his velocity. Soon more than just air started hitting it. Leaves, branches - at first small, then bigger ones. When he noticed one that was particular thick, he grabbed it instead, spun twice to kill off the rest of his momentum, and landed on top of it. Jaune quickly surveyed the area below him, and not noticing any threats, jumped down. He rolled, and jumped to his feet, sword and shield ready to meet any incoming attack.

None came.

After making sure nothing was going to attack him, he lowered his weapons and looked around.

_Ozpin said relics are in the northern part of forest…_

His eyebrows furrowed. That was in the same direction as the Harrowed's territory. That was… actually a good idea. The Harrowed ran away - and that meant it most likely wouldn't come back to it's old lair. Even if it did, it seemed to be active mostly at night. Plus, there won't be that many Grimm there - they avoided Harrowed territories even for few months after one was gone.

Jaune relaxed and started marching north. The thought of some unknown Harrowed running around was still bothering him. Part of it was concern about how many people might fall victim to the monster.

The other was his personal pride. He took the contract, and failed to take down the target. Sure, technically he did kill it - after all, they talked about killing an Alpha Beowolf and he stabbed it through brain. Even the client himself had judged the contract to be completed. But still, it just didn't sit right with him.

It was his prey. And he failed to hunt it down.

The sound of an incoming call, caused him to stop. He pulled his scroll, and frowed when he noticed who was calling.

_I wonder what he wants._

"Yes, Headmaster?"

"Hello Jaune. Have you landed safely?"

"Yes"

"Can we talk?"

"Yes."

"Good. There was new development regarding your job yesterday. I thought you might be interested."

Jaune tensed.

"I'm listening."

"The team of Hunters sent out after your report failed to track down the beast. However this morning one of our professors went to the Emerald Forest for a routine patrol and encountered a Grimm that he believed might be the same you fought against. According to his report, the beast was surrounded in cloud of black smoke, was limping on its left leg, and was missing its right paw. He also mentioned the smoke it was surrounded with appeared to come out of wound on the back of its neck. I believe these are the wounds you inflicted on it?

"Yes. What happened to it?"

"The Hunter engaged it and managed to put it down. Since he was informed of your encounter, he remained on his guard. This paid off, since beast got up after few seconds and resumed its attack. It continued to fight even after extensive damage to its body, and every wound that normally would mean death just put it down for a few seconds. Even decapitation didn't stop its "resurrections." It stopped only after approximately 40% of its body was destroyed. It then remained still, and after around thirty seconds the Hunter noticed that smoke from the Harrowed did not disperse, rather its condensating into vaguely oval shape. It then retreated. Hunter wasn't able to chase it down. He opened fire on the target, but it was ineffective."

_Ok, so it doesn't have a solid form. Probably can "infect" Grimm, or maybe somehow copy there form? Anyway it would be a pain to find it if the only hint is its strange behavior… "_

"Do you think it's still in the area?" Asked Jaune.

"Yes, I believe the chances are high."

"Do you want me to try and track it down?"

"No, focus on completing your initiation. But keep your eyes open. If you notice something worrying, call me or Miss Goodwitch, we will send help. But  _only_  if its the Harrowed we speak of. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir. May I ask question?"

"Go ahead Mr Arc."

"What parts of its body were destroyed?"

Ozpin seemed to consider it for few seconds.

"I'll send you the photos made by Hunter in question. Anything else?

"Yes. Was ammo was used..."

Jaune asked few more questions. If he paid more attention to his surrounding, he might have noticed a pair of yellow eyes watching him.

* * *

**Cr00cy :**   **And here we go. Jaune succeed in securing a place in Beacon. And this time he did not have to resort to fake transcripts. It also turns out he has some pretty high-tech equipment. Thanks to JJD for coming up with decent name for it(he also wrote this whole scene).**

**Some people asked why Jaune would want to go to Beacon. It will be addressed in future chapters. For now, l give simplest reason - he wanted to. There are others as well.**

**Anyway, not much to talk about here - it was mostly a transition chapter. Next one will be initiation - and with it will come with some action. For now, please enjoy another Samantha short (written by JJD).**

**Cr00cy: Do you want to try to write more Ya-**

**JJD: Yus!**

* * *

She watched as he swung the sword diagonally across his body, sweat flying off his brow from the force of the strike. He brought the blade up again and swung across the other side, letting out a grunt as he did so. He pressed forward, driving his opponent back, seizing the initiative. His mighty blade rose and fell again and again.

She supposed it might have been a little more impressive if his opponent wasn't only in his head, and his 'mighty weapon' wasn't an oak branch.

She couldn't fault his work ethic though. He'd been at this for the better part of an hour. She'd never seen anyone want something as bad as Jaune wanted to get into Combat School.

They did this same routine almost every day. They'd go to one of the street vendors and pick up some sweets, walk along the boardwalk until they reached the same patch of cleared earth next to the river, and then she'd watch him swing his stick of wood around, slaying imaginary Grimm. If it had been anyone else, she'd have grown tired of it long ago, but somehow with Jaune it was just…different.

The boy swung again, and collapsed to his knees in exhaustion as he tripped over his feet. He gasped for breath as he struggled to find his feet.

"Did you get'em this time?" She drawled.

He shot her a look between gasps.

"I just want to make sure the area is secure." She grinned at him.

"Yeah, I think I got most of 'em." He smiled back.

She just shook her head. "Why do you try so hard Jaune? What makes you want to be a Hunter so bad?"

He laid back on the grass and stared into the sky.

"Because it means something. People are trying to live their lives out here one day at a time, but they do so in constant fear of the Grimm. If I could be a part of taking that fear away, even a small part of it, then that would mean something." He closed his eyes and smiled. "It would mean something to me."

She walked over and leaned over his prone form. "You're ridiculous."

"So you keep telling me."

She nudged him with her foot. "Well hero, you know what would mean something to me? Lunch. You think the area is safe enough for us to go get some?"

He grinned. "You know, I think it just might be."


	6. Breaking Bonds, Making Bonds

**Welcome to another chapter of TPA. As always edited by JJD.**

* * *

Jaune ended call and looked over the photos he had received again. There was not much left of corpse - both arms and the right leg were gone, along with a good part of the upper torso.

_That's… far more than 40% I'd say…_

After a few more questions, Ozpin put him in contact with the Hunter who fought the beast. An older man with boisterous voice, that was more than happy to give Jaune any information he wanted. According to him, the first 'fatal' wound he delivered was a shot to the chest. Harrowed fell, then returned to its feet and continued to attack.

Next was a diagonal cut from its left shoulder to right side of its chest. The blow separated its head, right arm, and a good portion of the upper torso from rest of body. The strange thing was that according to the Hunter, the beast seemed to have no problem locating him, even when its head was no longer attached to its body. Even when he was clearly out of its line of sight.

What sealed the deal was the third attack - a shot to right side of the pelvis that ripped off its right leg, followed by a cut that separated its remaining arm from the rest of its body.

_Strange… If it could spot him without a head, it would mean it has some other way of perceiving its surroundings… But it still had trouble with reacting to my attacks in that cave… was it because it was dark in there?_

Jaune shook his head. There was no point thinking about it now. Instead, he focused on task at hand - finding a partner, locating the relics, and passing initiation.

* * *

Blake watched the blond boy run off in the vague direction of north. She spotted him landing not long after her own touchdown, and decided to take a look. She recognized the boy instantly - messy, blond hair, heavy armor, two swords. She recalled that the Headmaster had referred to him as.. Arc?

_Now, what to do… Should I just walk out? I would prefer to see him fight first, but that landing wasn't half bad._

A sudden ringing interrupted her thoughts. The boy in front of her took out his scroll and started speaking with someone. He was too far away, and talked too quietly for her to hear clearly, but she could still pick out a few words.

_Is he talking with… Headmaster Ozpin?_

Blake's eyes narrowed. She knew she could be paranoid, but this situation wasn't normal. A Hunter-in-training shouldn't be receiving calls from the Headmaster of the academy he is joining - especially not during initiation.

She watched the boy end the call, then make another and talk with someone else for a few minutes. Then he ran off north.

After a second of contemplation, Blake followed him. Something was not right here - and she was going to find out what.

* * *

Ruby Rose was in distress. This was bad.

Really, really bad.

_What does he mean by "first person you make eye contact with"?! How am I supposed to 'choose' my partner when all it takes is to look at each other? Ahhhhhhhh, it's so stupid!_

Others might be fine with it - but not socially awkward Ruby.

_Ok, calm down. All you need to do is not make eye contact with anyone until you find Yang. It will be fine, if you meet someone you can just close your eyes and run past them with your semblance. No eye-contact - no partners._

She ignored the little voice in the back of her head asking what she would do if Yang already found a partner. She wouldn't just leave her little sister like that, right?

.

.

.

She totally would.

_Ahhh this is bad. What will I do if she abandons me again? I don't know… anybody… Jaune!_

Ruby paused… yes, Jaune Arc looked like a nice guy. She wasn't sure if they could be called friends yet - they only talked two times. But he didn't look put off when she started nerding out about his armor and weapons and he didn't try to get rid of her so he could talk with Yang more.

Plus, he said he had done some contracting work, and for SDC no less. That means he is almost like pro Hunter!

_Ok, change of plan. Look for Yang OR Jaune._

Ruby smiled at her brilliant plan - two people meant twice as many chances she would partner up with someone she knew.

_Yes, this is perfect. Now all I need to do is to not look into anyone else's..._

She barely managed to stop before running into the person in front of her. Said person turned around, looking her straight in the...

_...eyes._

"Oh, it's you," said Weiss Schnee.

* * *

Jaune looked at the new photo he just received. In the span of the thirty or so minutes since his talk with Ozpin, there were ten encounters with a Harrowed. Most of them were students surprised by a sudden attack from an enemy they thought they had just killed - or one they didn't even notice was there. Thankfully, no one had suffered any serious injury. Yet.

That's why, after brief talk with the Headmaster, Jaune decided to focus on taking down the threat.

Thankfully, the increased encounter rate meant more information could be gathered. He now was receiving regular updates on where the Harrowed was encountered, how the fight went, and, in the case it was taken down, a photo of corpse. This allowed Jaune to make some… educated guesses.

_It can fight even with a severely damaged body, but will abandon it the moment it can no longer move, or attack. It will rely on 'normal' sense as long as possible, but if it loses its head it will start to use some other way to perceive it surrounding - though I have no idea what it might be._

_It looks like it will try to pretend to be normal Grimm for as long as possible… but why?_

Jaune shook his head. That wasn't what was important now. He had to locate it before someone was seriously wounded, or worse.

_It always appears in places where a fight against Grimm took place. Why? It often runs away, or even plays dead, and waits for people to leave so it's not like it's looking for victims._

Jaune scrolled through the photos he received, stopping on one that caught his interest. It was the last registered encounter with Harrowed - about six minutes ago. And the only one where it took different shape - an Ursa instead of Beowolf.

_Why? Why did it take different shape there, but nowhere else? Maybe it decided this one would mask it more effectively? Is it that intelligent?_

Just when he was about to put his scroll away, it ringed. Jaune recognized the number - it was the same Hunter that encountered the Harrowed this morning.

"Jaune, my boy! I looked around the clearing where last encounter took place, and I found something interesting."

_Oh?_

"I'm listening."

"Whoever fought there, fought Ursas."

It took Jaune a few moments to figure out why this information was important.

_It was always Beowolf… In every place it "spawned" people fought Beowolves._

"So it took the shape of Ursa… to blend in?"

"It might… but why do so after the fight?"

Now that was good question, wasn't it? Usually the Harrowed appeared shortly after a fight ended, and either tried to run after a surprise attack, or played dead after it was "killed" by students unaware what they were dealing with. Thanks to the cameras, teachers from Beacon could easily locate it, but so far every attempt to put it down for good failed. Another mystery was how it went from its 'ghost' form to material one.

_Damn you Doggy, you are just determined to ruin my day, aren't you?_

Now the big question was - where would it spawn next? A sudden explosion, followed by gunshots, caught his attention. He looked to the source of noise - north-east form his current location, and not too far away.

_Well, as good place to check as any._ He thought, running towards the rising plume of smoke.

* * *

Blake was getting nervous. This Arc boy cleary was up to something. She saw him check his scroll multiple times, usually looking over something, but also making few calls. She didn't know what they were about - the one time she dared to try to sneak any closer, she was almost spotted.

_Who are you? And why are you here?_

Rustling of bushes behind her put her on guard. She briefly considered trying to run away - she really didn't want to fight anything now. That was bound to catch the blond boy's attention, ruining her chances of spying on him.

However, before she could make decision, the source of the noise appeared.

It wasn't Grimm, but a person. A very noisy person.

"Oh, hello there." She said with grin

"Hi." Answered Blake.

The blond haired girl in front of her put one hand on her hip and flashed a cocky grin.

"Guess we're partners, huh? Name's Yang Xiao Long," she said extending her hand.

The fanus girl spared a quick glance behind her. The boy was gone.

With an internal sigh she took the offered hand.

"Blake Belladonna."

It looked like her investigation would have to wait

* * *

When Jaune finally reached his destination, the fight was already over. Corpses of five Beowolves laid all over the small clearing, slowly turning into smoke.

Literally all over.

A forearm with half of its paw still attached was probably biggest piece of Grimm left behind.

_Well, that looks… messy. But I guess none of them will be getting back up anytime soon._

Just as he was about to leave, he noticed something strange. There was much more of this black smoke there than there should have been, and it was concentrating in a single spot. With morbid fascination, Jaune observed as the remains of the dead Grimm gathered near the forearm he noticed earlier - and began to take shape. It was vague at first, but after not even a minute, a full-fledged Beowolf stood before him.

_Ok… So it gathers remains of dead Grimm to make body for itself. Sure, why not._

He snapped his scroll shut, after sending recording of what he saw to Ozpin.

Hiding behind a nearby tree, he pulled two bottles from his belt. Drinking two elixirs at once wasn't something he liked to do - the risk of backslash was much greater, and side effects were amplified too, but this was not time to play around.

Jaune closed his eyes and started applying his Semblance. The first thing that kicked in was a dull headache. Soon after, his hearing strengthened - he could now cleary hear the monster in clearing behind him. He started picking up scents with much more intensity, but after a few seconds turned it down. A few seconds more, and he slowly opened his eyes - to see the grey world.

He first realized what his Semblance was about two years ago - but was probably using it subconsciously for longer. It allowed him to strengthen Aura - allowing him to block stronger hits and heal faster than other Hunters.

After some experimenting, he discovered he could use it to help manipulate effects of his elixirs. Usually he limited it to lowering their side effects, but in the case of more complicated elixirs - it gave him a few more options.

Take Dawn for example. It was something he created shortly after he come back to experimenting with Dusk. He wanted to create weaker version that would allow him to fight for longer, and with milder drawbacks. He technically failed - Dawn had none of the properties of Dusk. Instead, it greatly boosted his five senses. While that sounded nice - and was useful in some situations - it was a double edged sword. Boosted hearing meant he was more vulnerable to loud noises, boosted vision made it easy to be blinded by any source of light. Worst was touch - when boosted it made him capable of feeling even slightest movements of air around him. Very useful when he had to fought hard to see enemy.

If not for the fact it also greatly lowered his pain threshold - to the point where a simple pat on the back could knock him out from the pain.

However, thanks to his Semblance, he could choose what he wanted to boost, and how much. For example - he could boost his hearing, but keep other senses at a normal level. Or he could turn off his ability to see colors - and boost his ability to perceive movements.

With the addition of the Perception Enhancer, he could also simulate Dusk Aura-vision. The effect was weaker, but since the only real drawback was small headache, and increased Aura consumption when he was using his Semblance, he could keep it up much longer.

Jaune took a few more seconds to stabilize the effects of both elixirs, and making sure he wasn't about to get hit by sudden nausea attack.

Then, black sword in hand, and a smile on his lips, he walked out of his hiding spot.

"Hi there Doggy." He said as the beast turned towards him. "Ready for round two?"

* * *

The Ursa's roar was cut short by the spear that pierced its skull. The second beast tried to get her from behind, but was too slow. Pyrrha spun to the left, switching her spear to its sword form and cutting off Grimm hand in one, fluid motion. Before it could even think about how to retaliate, Milo - again in spear form - pierced through the back of its head. Freeing her weapon, Pyrrha scanned the battlefield.

The corpses of five Ursa laid around, a few almost gone already. She sighed, and started walking north again. Catching the blond boy provided far harder than she thought. At first, she wanted to… help the odds a bit. But just as she lined up for a perfect throw that would let her pin him to the tree - and didn't that bring a few… interesting images in her mind - the boy suddenly lost his momentum and disappeared in the forest.

That left her with only one option - track him down. Well, she was a Huntress (in training), tracking down her prey was basically in the job description. Unfortunately, her private instructors somehow omitted this little detail in her lessons. She made it to the spot she thought he landed without any problems - the few Grimm she encountered were nothing more than a distraction. But then the real problem started - even if she was in the right place, it turned out her partner-to-be didn't see fit to wait for her.

With no clue what to do, she decided to just run north - where relics were supposed to be. All the time looking for a mop of messy blond hair.

Pyrrha knew she was probably being unfair. It was normal for people to be in awe when they met someone they admired. It's just that she was really tired of being The Champion - she wanted to be just Pyrrha again. And while she was sure anyone she was partnered with would understood it - eventually - she preferred to not take any chances.

Jaune Arc never heard of her - something she was dreading was not possible. Not only that - he seemed to genuinely not care. They talked briefly, on the way to the cliffs - and while he asked many of the questions she usually received, they lacked the… awe her fans had. He expressed his admiration for her skill - but he wasn't gushing about it.

Yes, Jaune Arc proved nice, friendly, funny. He didn't care about her fame, and saw her as a person. That was all she ever really wanted - and more than she dared to hope she would ever find. But now that it was right in front of her - she was ready to fight tooth and nail to get what she wanted.

She smiled.

_I wonder what he is doing right now…_

* * *

Jaune Arc was currently running through forest, sword in hand, and murder in his eyes.

_That fucking son of Vacuan whore! That flea-ridden mutt! Just you wait, you stinking piece of Grimm shit, when I get you…_

The reason for Jaune rage was simple.

His second encounter with 'Doggy', as he named his mark, went rather well - it was nowhere near as strong as during their first fight.

Jaune was sure he would be able to finish it then and there - but Doggy suddenly threw some soil mixed with leaves at him. It was just a brief distraction - one that the beast used to run away. It only briefly paused when it found some dead Grimm to "eat up" and continued running.

This was the beginning of cat-and-mouse game, where Jaune was chasing the damn thing around, and 'Doggy' was entertaining him by throwing whatever it could at him whenever he got close.

The Harrowed proved to be extremely light on its feet - easily outrunning Beowolves. This provided to be a challenge for Jaune, who was not fastest person around.

To make matters worse, it was killed twice by some students - forcing Jaune to waste even more time trying to find it again.

_At least I learned few things..._

The Harrowed was capable of gathering remains of dead Grimm to build himself a body. He usually made one resembling Grimm it "collected" - but was by no means limited to a single form. After its body was complete it couldn't abandon it until it was either heavily damaged - or it lost its head. It could remain in the same body for as long as it wanted - but would usually abandon one when it was no longer capable of fighting.

Freshly after reforming, it was much weaker than normal Grimm - but could gather more material to strengthen itself.

After being killed, its "essence" - how Jaune like to call it would leave the body and drift away, but no more than ten meters. Then it would start gathering a bit of material from its previous body - and fly off in the direction of highest Grimm concentration in around a 200 meter radius. If it didn't find any - it would just wander around until it stumbled onto some. Then it would attach itself to a Grimm, and wait for it to die, then take over its body. Or, if the Grimm were already dead, it would stick to the biggest peace it could find, and build a new one.

Jaune paused for a moment to listen, and catch his breath. Then he continued running.

The sound of gunfire from the direction he was heading to stopped about ten minutes ago. That meant there would be dead Grimm there - and his mark would stop to feed again.

Jaune "lost" the Harrowed a bit earlier. He hoped giving it some space would cause it to drop its guard and let him make some preparations.

It payed off - he could now see a small clearing with several Grimm corpses, and his mark in the middle gathering black smoke.

Another thing he discovered was that the Harrowed had rather poor senses. When its head was destroyed, it would start emitting black smoke - and could use it to locate moving objects around it, but only in a very limited area.

So now, when his prey stopped running, and was discrated, Jaune decided to act.

He ran out of the woods, straight at Harrowed. He managed to cover half the distance before it noticed him.

It roared and hesitated on whether to run or fight.

It cost it, when the black blade tore through its left arm, cutting it cleanly.

_Its true form is invulnerable as long as it remains in the body._

Jaune recalled what he learned, dodging the Harrowed's right arm.

" _It's smart, would fight for as long as it thinks it has chance, but will try to run when it takes heavy damage."_

A swift counter left, cut deep into the beast's torso. Jaune took a few steps back, and looked his opponent over. Its eyes - still red - locked onto his.

Jaune took a deep breath. He had already formed plan, and made all the preparations he could in such limited time. Now it was time to put it in motion.

* * *

The beast was furious. The intruder has returned - and he was relentless. It chased it for a long time, not giving it the chance to eat and get stronger. It wanted to kill him, for all the pain he caused, but the Beast knew better.

The intruder was strong. If it wanted to kill him, it had to eat - a lot. Eat and grow stronger. Right now the Beast knew it couldn't win - so it would just bide its time and look for a chance to escape. The intruder was fast and strong, but it could outrun him.

It already lost one arm, but it could be regrown - now all it needed was a chance.

The Beast jumped back, avoiding a slash to its neck. It could just abandon this body - but then it would go back to being blind.

Blind, and deaf. Cold and hot - both and neither at the same time. It didn't want to do it - even all pain it was feeling was better than that.

It gathered some earth, threw it at the intruder - and ran as fast as it could. The lack of one hand hindered its speed, but it was sure it could still outrun him.

* * *

Jaune ran after the retreating monster.

_Just a bit more…_

Despite losing an arm, it was still very fast - faster than him. It was steadily gaining distance. And it was still accelerating.

Jaune smiled.

_It should be around…_

The Harrowed let out surprised squeal when it tripped, fell and slammed into nearby tree.

_Here._

After few encounters he learned of Beast habits - it would try to distract him, then run straight ahead for about 300 meters. Then it start waving, trying to lose pursuers.

That's why Jaune put up some tripwires, and circled around to make sure the Beast would run in the right direction.

Step one, place traps _._

Step two, lure Harrowed into them.

So far his plan was working.

_Time for step three - force the real body out._

The Beast was still dazed from the impact, and Jaune didn't give it time to recover. His black sword rose and fell, taking the Beast head off its shoulders.

_Step three done, time for step four - finish the job._ He thought, observing with his Aura vision as... something was emerging from the Grimm's neck. It was shapeless, and swirling around. After a short time, taking a shape that looked like… well something. But it quickly returned to it shapeless form.

Jaune took a deep breath and poured Aura into his sword. It started vibrating, letting off a low buzzing sound. After just a moment, black mist started to raise from the blade, settling around his hand, coloring it in the same pitch-black color. It spread up to elbow before stopping.

The blade itself looked liquid. A wisp of black and white swirled together making complex, constantly changing designs.

Awakening of black swords was one of its most powerful abilities. Unfortunately it also drained Aura like crazy, and sometime there were... other side-effects. But it was the only way to deal with Harrowed that didn't have a material body.

_I can't afford to awaken it fully. Even then I probably have only two minutes… if I really push it. But I still need to complete this initiation, so…_

He let out his breath and looked up - the Harrowed was now fully visible. It appeared as a ball floating about one meter above its body. Four to six tentacle-like things connected the ball with it severed neck.

A sudden gust of wind broke withered out branch.

The Witcher dashed.

The Grimm body did the same - but the Harrowed stayed in the same place.

_I can't destroy the connection between it and its body - it will run away._

He ducked under a swipe of the Grimm's arm and tried to run past it towards the main body.

The decapitated body made a move like it wanted to bite him - but the lack of head made it a wasted effort. It instead half-lunged, half-tackled him.

Jaune sidestepped it, and when it fell over slashed at its leg - not enough to cut it off, but enough to hinder its movement.

It rose and tried to chase him - but it was too late. Jaune pumped Aura into his legs and jumped.

A broken branch hit the forest floor with a dull thud.

A black sword hit the Harrowed's body. It struggled for a moment, then gave up.

* * *

Pain. That was all Beast could feel, all it knew. The intruder destroyed its strong body - leaving it deaf and blind yet again. It could still feel pain - and the movement around it's now useless body. It needed to get rid of it - but couldn't do it on its own. Now it needed to wait for this body to disappear - then feed until it could create new one. Then it could be… it could  _be_  again.

Suddenly a new sensation hit it. It was strange - familiar, yet alien. Was it pain? It was only thing it could ever feel in this state. But it was already in so much pain! There was so much of it. Pain was always there, pain was only thing the Beast knew, pain was…. disaspering?

The Beast wasn't sure what was happening. The pain was disappearing - only thing it knew was disappearing. If it were to disappear - what would happen to the Beast? What would it become... Would it even  _be_  anymore?

It started to feel something else - something not pleasant. But then it heard a voice. It was strange - it shouldn't be able to hear anything. But it didn't heard it as much as… felt it.

It couldn't understand it at first - but it was a nice voice. The Beast liked it.

_..ase yours..._

What was that? The Beast couldn't really understand, but voice was nice, so it must have said something nice, right?

_...cut chains…pain... bind you._

Chains? Bind? Pain? Yes, pain was what bound the Beast to this world. It let it  _be_. If there was no pain, then there would be no Beast… the Beast didn't want to disappear… it wanted to just… to be.

But maybe, it was better that way? If all Beast was, was pain, was it really worth it to be? It didn't want to disappear, but maybe…

_..peace._

Peace? Beast didn't know what this meant… did it? It stirred something in it… something nice. It would be nice to not feel pain… It wouldn't be the Beast anymore, it wasn't sure if it would  _be_ anything… but maybe that was for the best.

So it decided to listen to this nice voice. It let go of the pain, left it behind. The Beast… no... it was not the Beast anymore - it was left behind with the pain. So what was it now?

Nothing.

It was nothing.

It made it sad - a welcome change.

And then it understood.

It was nothing now.

So maybe it could become something new…

* * *

Jaune was kneeling, trying to catch his breath. Thankfully, he managed to deactivated his black sword. Now if only he could do something about the pain…

Feedback from Harrowed was a rare thing - it happened only when it was conscious enough to actually recognize what it saw, and felt, ment. Usually, what was transferred was some of the feelings, sometimes a bit of memory.

All Jaune felt in the instant he made connection with the Harrowed was pain.

_It held onto it… It held onto the pain, because it was the only thing that let it remain self-conscious… and it got twisted by it._

Jaune slowly stood up, and looked up to where the Harrowed's body was just a moment ago. There was only a few traces left, floating in the air and disappearing - like little fireflies.

_You poor bastard… you were so afraid, you preferred to live in pain, than to move on?_

He smiled.

_See you my friend. I hope you will do well, wherever you went._

Jaune shook his head - both to get rid of these thoughts, and clear his head a bit. He still felt dizzy, and some of the phantom pain remained, but he was mostly fine now. He took a deep breath, then slowly let it go.

Jaune send a quick message to Ozpin informing him job was done. Then he headed north.

_Bonus objective completed. Now onto the main one - find the relics and complete initiation._

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos took few deep breaths and steeled her resolve. After running around for nearly two hours she almost gave up hope of finding Jaune Arc. He probably already had partner. Maybe it was Weiss? Or that blond girl she noticed talking to him just before they were launched? They seemed to know each other...

It was with these heavy thoughts, and a heavier heart, that she come upon a small clearing - with blond boy kneeling near tree and near the decaying corpse of a Beowolf.

For a few seconds she just stood there, staring at his back. Then she hid behind a tree. Her mind raced.

_OK, calm down Pyrrha. Just walk out there and talk to him. It's nothing hard, people make friends all the time._

_But what do I say?_

_Well… I could ask him if he is alright.. He seemed a bit off. Maybe he got scared in his first real fight._

She nodded. That could work. She will walk out there, show concern, be nice and supportive…

_NO! Are you idiot? Men are fragile creatures, if you imply he got scared by a single Grimm, you could break him!_

_Yeah, that's right. So maybe I should compliment him? Say how skillfully he took that Beowolf down…_

_Yeah, but I didn't saw him fight. What if I say something wrong…_

…

…

_I could go back to plan A and just pin him to the tree…_

_But using a spear to pin him down, is a bit extreme… he could get scared..._

_I don't have to use a spear to pin him down…_

_Hmm, he does look pretty winded… probably won't be able to resist…_

_I can make him not want to resist…_

_Hmm…._

Pyrrha slapped herself.

_Get your act together! If you delay any longer someone will snatch him away, or you lose him again. Just walk out there, say 'hi' and ask if he is alright. If he says he is ok, just talk about anything…_

Taking few deep breaths, she walked out into the clearing. She made to speak… And realised there was no one there.

Pyrrha just stood there for a few seconds, smile on her lips, and hand raised in greeting.

Her eyebrow started twitching.

She looked towards the north.

She lowered her hand.

Her smile was much more… predatory now.

Pyrrha Nikos took a deep breath, and dashed in the direction she was sure the blond boy went.

Her prey was close - and she would be damned if she let it escape.

* * *

Jaune shuddered, and looked around. He suddenly felt as if he was prey being hunted by very vicious predator. This wasn't exactly an alien feeling for him - but one that he hadn't felt in quite a while. Usually, it was him doing hunting - even if his usual prey didn't realize it.

_Must have been my imagination. Focus on the task at hand._

He sighed and looked around. Everything was glowing. Jaune was a bit torn on whether or not to use his Aura vision. Sure, it would help him spot danger sooner, but using it constantly consumed his own Aura. Not much - but every bit counted when in a hostile environment.

Sometimes he caught brighter flashes - signs of other students.

He noticed a bigger concentration of light in one direction - which probably meant there were more people gathered there.

But he also noticed a few shadows in the way - which meant there were Grimm between them.

When he first shared his discovery of Aura vision with his teacher, he was rather impressed, and instantly asked why Jaune wasn't using it to track Grimm.

" _But Grimm don't have Aura."_ Was his answer.

" _Yeah, but if everything around you is glowing - just look for spots where the glow is weaker. It's like looking for the darkness between the stars."_  Was his teacher response.

That proved to be true - he couldn't see Grimm - they were just black shapes. But he could make out spots where light of Aura was dimed - and this told him where Grimm might be. It wasn't perfect - sometimes what he found were just some inanimate objects like rocks, or boulders, and it didn't work too well if there was no life around, like in desert.

Still, it had its uses, so he wasn't complaining.

_I could just circle around… but it's not big group. It's better to take them down now, on my terms, than to get ambushed later._

He nodded to himself and rushed towards the Grimm. They weren't far, and when he came closer - he noticed it was only five Beowolves. One was bigger, and had more plating than others - but it wasn't an Alpha.

_Good._  thought Jaune.

_I needed to blow off some steam anyway._

* * *

Pyrrha come to halt near a tree. She noticed Jaune walking towards a group of five Beowolves. It didn't take long for the Grimm to notice the lone human walking towards them. They fanned out and started growling menacingly.

At first, she wanted to jump in and help him, but something stopped her. If she intervened now, wouldn't it look like she didn't believe in his skill? It was only five Beowolves - something every half-decent Hunter could easily take care of. And Jaune trained for four years in the Wilds - he was bound to be more than half-decent. If he did get in trouble - she could easily help him from afar.

_Ok, let's see what is he's made of…_

Jaune continued walking towards Grimm. Three Beawolves charged straight at him, two started flanking. The only reaction from him was to raise his shield.

Three of the Grimm were almost upon him. They jumped high, maws open wide, and arms raised to crush the foolish human who challenged them.

Pyrrha tightened her grip on her weapon, ready to rush in if her partner-to-be got in trouble.

She needn't have worried - suddenly Jaune charged in, slamming shield-first into the beast at the center, shoving it to the left. At the same time, he lashed out with his sword at the one on his right. All three fell over, one of them missing a limb.

Jaune didn't even spare a look at them, but instead ran to the right.

_Not bad… but he should have killed the one he bashed intead…_

Jaune collided with the next Grimm. She couldn't see exactly what happened, but the Beowolf was pushed back and fell over. It didn't made any attempt to get up - probably because it was now missing its head.

_Ok, four more to go…_

Jaune turned around to face the remaining Grimm that were… not attacking him. Instead, they grouped up, then fanned out again.

The one Jaune bashed was again in the center - Pyrrha recognized it since it was bigger and had more bone plating that rest. It was now standing on its hind legs, howling. The other two Grimm were on all fours - well one was on all fours, the other on all threes - letting out low growls. Jaune, shield up and sword at the ready, was slowly moving towards them.

_Why they don't attack…_ she though. Then her eyes widened.  _Wait, where is forth one?_

She spotted it easily - it started to circle behind Jaune.

_He must have got distracted and missed it!_ She changed Milo into rifle and aimed at the lone Grimm. But didn't fire. It still hadn't gotten bad - but if she fired, it could distract him. And if all Grimm attacked at that moment...

She took a few deep breaths to relax, and took her finger off trigger. But she didn't lower her weapon.

If she decided that it got too risky - she would help, whether he asked for it or not.

The rest of the Grimm still didn't attack - they were howling, growling, shuffling around, and overtly making as much noise they could. From time to time, one would move few steps ahead, causing Jaune to pause, but they would soon move back.

_What are they doing? Why are they not attacking? They should…_  the realisation struck her like lighting.

_They are distracting him… so the other one can attack from behind._

This was… worrying. Not because they posed any real threat - she was sure she could easily dispatch such a small group. But this was clearly intended behavior - something requiring intelligence.

Pyrrha swallowed. Was Jaune surprised by this unusual behavior?

The lone Beowolf was now directly behind the blond boy. The three Grimm in front of him fanned out and charged.

Jaune charged too.

Pyrrha took aim and prepared to shoot. It was clear what would happen - the beast behind the young Hunter was closer than the other three so it would reach him first. The sudden attack from behind would either knock him over - or at least distract him long enough for the others to close in.

Jaune was heavy armored, so he would probably survive. Probably - and even then there was still the possibility of injury.

So Pyrrha decided to wait till the last moment - and if the he didn't show any indication he noticed the threat behind him - she would intervene.

Then a few things happened very quickly.

Jaune changed the direction of his charge and collided with Grimm to his left.

Behind him, two Beowolves - the one in middle of pack and the one who was behind the young Hunter, tried to change direction too - but didn't made it in time, and slammed into each other.

_Well that's lucky…_

The last beast - the one on the right, that Jaune crippled at the very beginning - had to stop its own charge, lest it would collide with them. It jumped over the tangled mass of limbs and bodies that its packmebers had become. It fell over, got up, then awkwardly jumped a few steps before lunging at the blond boy.

Its headless body fell not far from bisected corpse of the other Grimm.

Not even looking behind him, Jaune charged at remaining two Beowolves, that were slowly starting to get up.

He didn't even slow down when he collided with smaller one and carried it with him. The bigger Grimm didn't try to attack - instead, yet again showing a surprising amount of intelligence, jumped back, narrowly avoiding the sword that lashed at its leg.

Jaune pushed a bit further, then turned himself and the Grimm he was carrying. The tip of Crocea Mors erupted from the Beowolf's back.

The last remaining Grimm stood on its hind legs and let out a loud howl.

Jaune stepped over the decaying corpse.

The Grimm charged.

The human did the same.

The Grimm raised its arm and slashed at the human.

The human raised his sword and slashed at the Grimm.

A black arm fell to the ground.

The Grimm howled and lashed with its other arm.

The human took the blow on its shield, and pushed, pinning the limb to the Beowolf's body.

The Grimm tried to bite at him - but the shield made it impossible to reach the young hunter.

The human's sword pressed against the Beowolf's side.

The Grimm howled.

Pyrrha watched as Jaune slashed the Grimm at the waist, its legs falling forward, its upper body pushed backwards by the shield.

She grinned.  _He is good…_

Jaune continued with the momentum of his last cut, turning around, shield raised and sword at the ready. He spent a few seconds scanning the battlefield,

Pyrrha left her hiding spot and walked towards Jaune, who just now started to relax.

_Ok, keep it cool. Say hi, compliment his fight. Throw a joke. It wil..._

She could feel power of the blow reverberating through her arm, even as Akouo blocked the sword aimed at her throat.

She stared at him over the rim of her shield.

He stared at her along blade of his sword.

A few seconds passed in silence. Neither moved, or made sound.

"Hi there." She said, smiling.

"Hi," he answered with a smile mirroring hers.

"Looks like we're partners, Mr Arc?" She said, lowering Akouo, just as he lowered his sword.

"It would appear so, Miss Nikos." She pulled back Milo from where it collided with his sheath.

He sheathed his sword.

_Wait, where did his shield go?_

She shook his hand. The smile that adored his face was the same one she always wore when fighting strong opponents.

She wore it now too.

His grip on her hand tightened.

"I believe this might be beginning of beautiful friendship; don't you think Miss Nikos?"

Her grip tightened as well.

"I couldn't agree more Mr. Arc."

* * *

They walked for few minutes, talking along the way. Jaune proved to be as good companion as she hoped. He didn't talk about her tournament career when he noticed she wasn't comfortable with the topic. Instead, they talked about their weapons, what training they had, and about Grimm.

She learned that his sword was called Crocea Mors, and was a family heirloom. Its sheath could transform into a shield - and that was it. No other transformations, no guns, no nothing. Just a solid piece of steel.

His other sword was called Eclipse - and that was all she learned. Any further attempts to get some more information were met with a half-smile and the simple answer that, "it's a trade secret."

"So, what do you think? Is humble old me skilled enough to be the partner of the great Pyrrha Nikos?"

He quipped. She looked up to notice him looking back at her with a half-smile. His eyes were glowing - probably an effect of his Semblance. Through the few minutes they were together, Jaune proved capable of spotting people - and Grimm - from quite some distance. Even if trees or bushes were in the way.

Pyrrha tilted her head in confusion.

"You were watching me fight that pack earlier. So I wondered if my performance was satisfactory." He elaborated.

She could feel her cheeks heat up.

_He noticed me? But how… right it must be his Semblance. If he can detect people from hundreds of meters in the forest, he for sure was able to notice me._

Pyrrha hummed, tapping her cheek with one finger.

"Your performance was… passable. We shall allow you to accompany us." She said with a haughty voice.

Jaune looked at her for a moment then laughed.

She laughed too.

"But seriously, that was quite impressive Jaune. Though you scared me a little bit there."

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"When you let that one Beowolf behind you. I know it was small group but…"

"Pack." He interrupted her. Pyrrha looked at his quizzically.

"It was a pack, not a group." He elaborated.

"What's the difference?"

"A group is just a few Grimm that happened to be in the same place. A pack has a leader"

_Grimm have leaders? I never heard of it. But this… pack certainly seemed to work together quite well._

"So, the big one was the leader?"

"Yeah"

"So why didn't you kill it first? I'm sure you could have done it when you two collided." After watching the whole fight, Pyrrha had no doubt that Jaune could have easily killed the pack leader when he first collided with it. Which begged the question - why didn't he take it down.

"I could." He admitted easily.

"Then why…"

"Because as long as leader is alive, it will use the tactics that I know - and can counter."

Grimm… used tactics?

Pyrrha snorted. Yeah, right. Her partner was making fun of her, for sure.

_Well, I can play along for a while. Let's see where this goes._

"And what tactic would that be?" She asked.

She expected some ridiculous answer. She didn't expect her partner to start a full lecture.

"When any Grimm from a pack spots you, they will get into formation. In smaller packs - up to around twelve – the leader will always be in the center. It will be flanked by the two most experienced members of pack - these are his "guards." They will always stick close to the leader, and will sometimes take hits for him. That's why, if possible, you want to take them down first. The rest of the pack are attackers - they will flank the guards, splitting evenly on both sides." He paused for a moment, and then continued.

"The leader and his guards will attack head-on. The attackers will try to flank you. If there are six or more attackers, the pair closest to the guards will attack head-on with them. If there is an odd number of attackers, and there are more than four of them, the spare one will try to circle behind you."

"If you kill a guard, the closest attacker will take its place. If one side has twice as many attackers as the other, the pack will fall back towards leader and try to regroup. If only one attacker is left, then the leader and his guards will try to distract you, while the attacker circles behind. The leader will stand on its hind legs, the guards will do whatever they want, but usually won't attack. Attacking, or trying to retreat will cause whole pack to rush you.

"Bigger packs have a bit different tactics, and different formations. There are more guards for example, and instead of fanning out, the attackers tend to surround the leader."

He paused for a moment, then shot her a half-smile.

"Of course this how they act against single, slow moving opponent with no ranged weapons like me. Tactics will change depending on number of people involved, and their weapons. For example - if you open the fight with explosives, pack will try to spread out, if you shoot them, they will charge head on, and try to lock you in melee.

Pyrrha was shocked.

_Ok, so maybe he wasn't joking..._

She shook her head.

_I guess four years in the field can teach you things combat prep school won't._

"But if leaders are so smart, wouldn't it be better to take it down? A disorganized enemy is easier to take down than organized one."

"True." He agreed again. "Most people would probably prefer to take leader out ASAP. It all depends on the person - what weapon they use, the terrain, the size of the pack etc. I prefer to keep the leader alive. Like I said, I know what tactics they will use if I'll fight in certain way. Of course there are variations, but I can predict them. And if I know how they react to certain situations - I can control the fight to certain degree."

"The other reason is that if leader dies, a part of the pack tends to run away. I don't use guns, and even though I can run for a long time, I'm not fast enough to catch a Beowolf. But as long as leader is alive, the rest of pack will stick around - so I can get them all."

"Then why not use a gun?"

"Well, I was practicing with Crocea Mors for most of my life, so I decided it wouldn't make much sense to change weapons. Plus there are few problems with guns - they are loud, can jam, and you need to carry ammo."

"Is it really that big deal? If you do maintenance properly they won't jam, and ammo is easily accessible."

"Oh sure. In civilized parts. But out in the Wilds? Sometimes you might spend weeks without seeing another person, let alone shop. Not only that - you already need to carry food, drink and medicine. If I used guns I would have to give up some of it for ammo." He paused for a moment then added much quieter. "It also might be because I'm terrible with them."

She laughed.

"So, any more questions Miss Nikos?"

_Yes, where have you been my whole life?_ She thought.

"Why yes, professor. Do other Grimm have leaders too, or only Beowolves? And when would you say it's better to keep leader alive, rather than kill it?" She asked.

He hummed.

"Depends on the type of Grimm. As a rule of thumb - if they act in packs, there usually is a leader. Sometimes stronger Grimm of different types can act as leaders for lesser Grimm - for example Goliaths leading a pack of Beowolves, but this is extremely rare."

"As for your other question - there are many different factors, so it's hard to say, but generally speaking - if the leader is an Alpha, you most of the time want it dead ASAP - they are just too dangerous to keep alive. If you rely on speed and dodging, or tactics and disorienting your enemy, you want leader dead sooner than later too - otherwise it can figure out way to counter you."

"But if you are more of a brute force fighter - then you might want to leave the leader for last. Especially if you are not very mobile - like me. That way you can ensure the whole pack stays in place, and even control them if you know what you are doing. For example - crippling the leader leg will let you drag attackers away from it and its guards - so about one fifth, to one fourth of pack will be out of the fight. "

Pyrrha nodded.

_So, divide and conquer, huh?_

She recalled Jaune's fight - and realized this was what he had done. He didn't kill the leader - because this would turn a coordinated - and predictable - pack into wild beasts. Not only that – but shoving the leader into one of its guards, and crippling the other, caused a brief time when he had to worry about only two Grimm. Then he started to pick them off one by one.

_This was all planned. From start to finish, the whole fight was planned._

Pyrrha couldn't help but smile. Her partner was turning out to be an interesting person indeed.

They soon come upon a small clearing with three Ursa - one of them being a major.

An idea struck her.

"Hey Jaune?"

He looked back to her.

"How about I take this group on my own?"

He didn't look convinced.

"I'll be fine. I have fought Ursa before - and in bigger groups too. Besides - I saw you fight, it's only fair if you see me in action too."

Jaune hummed.

_Well, she's not an amateur, that's for sure… And I kinda do want to see what she can do…_

This was risky idea… but fighting Grimm was always risky. His partner was no pushover tho…

He looked around - there were no other Grimm in the vicinity. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded.

"Ok, but if I get even the slightest impression that you are in trouble, I'm moving in."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded

_He showed me something really nice._ She thought, Milo extending into spear form with a flourish.

_Guess I have to respond in kind._

She lunged at the first Ursa.

* * *

_You gotta be kidding me…._ Thought Jaune watching his partner .

Pyrrha ripped her spear from the Ursa's belly, spinning around and backhanding it with her shield.

She made a pirouette, and slammed the back of her spear into the Ursa's mask, knocking it down. Immediately, she thrust forward, stabbing, and forcing back Ursa Major.

_How can someone move like that..._

The Ursa that recovered from the blow to its head, raised its paw to swat away the red-haired Huntress.

Pyrrha jumped, and spun, shifting Milo into sword form. Its sharp blade easily cut off the Grimm's arm.

She landed in a low crouch behind the beast, spun again, cutting it along the waist. It fell over, and didn't get up back up.

_..and make it work?_

Pyrrha continued her spin, and threw her shield. It bounced off the Ursa Major's head, knocking it off balance.

A gunshot rang out, and the bullet from Milo hit beast in the knee, causing it to fall. It tried to get up.

Pyrrha was already in the air. She spun again, throwing her shield - it hit the Grimm in the head, bringing it to the ground again.

The Huntress followed soon after. She grabbed Milo - now in spear form - with both hands and plunged it into the massive Grimm's chest. She pulled it free, and faced the last Ursa. It moved clumsily towards her - it left knee shattered at very beginning of the fight.

Pyrrha shifted her weapon into rifle form, and shot Grimm in its front leg. It stumbled, and began to fall.

A red spear pierced through its eye socket. It was dead before it even hit the ground.

Jaune shook his head. The calm and practical part of him had started to count Pyrrha "mistakes" as soon as the fight started. She was doing so many acrobatics - spins, jumps, and the like. Something his teacher thoroughly drilled into him to  _not_  do. After all, a full piruet in a fight would leave moment when you have your back to enemy - an opening that could easily be exploited.

Unless you are Pyrrha Nikos, apparently. She was just too fast, too strong, too precise for any of these little "mistakes" to matter.

When she twirled her weapon to change form - it was but a moment.

When she spun - she was just blur, the movement over in the blink of the eye.

When she was in the air - she never gave her opponent a chance to exploit it.

So all Jaune could do, was to stare in awe, while she fought.. no,  _danced._ Fighting was too crude of a word to describe what he was witnessing.

_Guess she's not four-time champion for nothing._

He was expecting her to be good - but this went beyond being 'good'.

Pyrrha walked up to him, a smile on her lips.

"So, what do you think? Is humble old me worthy to accompany the great Hunter, Jaune Arc?"

He snorted.

"You know, when Weiss told me you were a four-time tournament champion, I expected you to be good. But not  _that_  good." He said, shaking his head. "Four years in the Wilds - I thought I learned something, but now I feel like useless baggage here," he added, turning away from her in fake despair.

To his surprise, he heard a gasp coming from Pyrrha.

He looked back.

His partner looked at him with wide, apologetic eyes. One hand covered her mouth, the other clutched her stomach.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't want to…"

Jaune gulped.

_Aaaand I'm feeling like ass right now. She looks like a kicked puppy._

He shot her a smile.

"Relax, I was just kidding."

_Ok, note to self - don't bring up her skill and fame. Even in jokes._

She laughed - but it was forced.

Jaune sighed. Now, he had to somehow deal with this mess.

* * *

Pyrrha was bashing herself mentally.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! I'm so stupid! It was going fine, but of course I had to go and show off._

Really, what was she thinking? It's not like it's the first time this happened - people distancing themselves from her because they thought she was too good for them. What if she just alienated her partner?

Sure, he said it was only a joke - but what if it wasn't? She recalled some of her childhood friends. They too said her fame did not bother them. But with each success they hung out less, they looked at her more and more like an idol, and less like person. Eventually, they drifted apart. When she went to combat school, she had hoped it would be better.

It was - for a short while. Most people looked at her in awe, as champion, some with spite, jealous of her skill and fame. And each win put more and more distance between her and her peers. Hell, there were a few who got their spirit crushed by her. They lost faith in their skills, and eventually gave…

She gasped. What if she did the same to her partner? They were supposed to work together, but if he thought himself unworthy of her, that he was just a hindrance? He was training in the Wilds - no doubt often risking his life. What if she made him think it was all for naught?

She spared a glance at him. They were walking for few minutes now, not a single word exchanged. Gone were the easy banters and laughs from before – only the tense silence remained.

Her head dropped again.

_What do I do? I have to fix it somehow. But how? Offer to train with him? He will just think I'm looking down on him. Ask for a spar and lose on purpose? No, he will notice and think I did it out of pity. What should I do? What CAN I do?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by her partner.

"Hey, Pyrrha…"

She looked up. He was looking at her feet, eyebrows furrowed.

"You dropped something…"

_Huh?_

She looked down - but saw only dirt, leaves and some small branches.

"It's over there"

She took step back - but still saw nothing that could be hers.

"Careful, you almost stepped on it."

She took step to the side.

"What…"

He flicked her in the forehead.

She looked up, surprised.

"It was your smile"

She couldn't help but snicker

"There it is. Be careful to not lose it again - it looks much better when you wear it." He said, turning around, and resuming his march.

Pyrrha looked at him for few seconds, then started walking too.

_Looks like I was worried for nothing._

"I'll keep it in mind." She said.

They walked in silence for few moments when Pyrrha suddenly asked.

"Hey, Jaune?"

"Hmm?"

"If I lose it again, will you help me find it?"

He stopped and turned to look at her. Then he smiled and nodded.

"Sure thing. What are friends for?"

Pyrrha smiled, and nodded too. She noticed his eyes were glowing again.

"See any more Grimm?"

He looked around.

"No, but I think there is large group of people that way." He said.

"You think it's where the relics are?"

"Dunno. Only one way to find out." He turned around, and started moving forward.

She followed.

* * *

**Cr00cy: Well some action in this chapter. I decided to not change partners, or teams - mostly because I didn't want to try and come up with team names.**

**Also - I made Grimm smarter. It always bothered me in the show that for all (or at least most) of first three seasons Grimm never appeared as too much of a threat - maybe beside Breach. So I want to make them at least a bit more dangerous.**

**Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Here is another Samantha short (brought to you by JJD):**

* * *

**Dancer**

They sat together along the old wooden bridge spanning the town's river, an ice cream in their hands, leisurely tossing bread into the water and watching the fish take the morsels under. It was becoming something of tradition of them, meeting like this and talking about…anything really...family, school, life in general. Always here, on the old wooden bridge just outside town. It was their place.

He looked over to her. "Hey Sam."

She eyed him over her cone. "What's up?"

"You ever think about what you're going to do, you know, when you grow up?"

He watched as she considered for a moment, tossing bits of bread into the moving water.  
"What brought this on?" She asked.

He sighed and broke off some more bread. "Well, we always talk about me becoming a Hunter. Me getting out of here." He shrugged. "So, I wanted to know what your plans are."

She took a few more licks of her cone. "You promise not to laugh?"

He barked a laugh. "Sam, I'm about the furthest thing away from a Hunter as can be, and we still talk about it non-stop. What could you possibly want to do that's more ridiculous than that?"

She mumbled something almost inaudible.

"What?"

"Wannabanncer." She rushed out.

He shook his head. "What?"

"I want to be a dancer!" She shouted.

That sat in silence, with Sam dutifully studying the remains of her ice cream.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"What made you decide on that?" He asked.

She looked towards the sky and kicked her feet hanging over the rail. "I just want to do something different you know? To get out, to travel the world." She smiled at him, her confidence building. "I could go from inn to inn, singing and dancing, never living the same day twice."

He smiled back. "That sounds like fun."

"I know, right!?" She paused for a moment, then cocked her head at him. "You still trying to learn the guitar?"

He laughed. "Trying is the key word there."

She stared out into the flowing water once more. "Maybe...maybe one day, we can perform together." She looked at him over her shoulder. "Will you play for me Jaune, when I dance?"  
He grinned. "I'd love to."

* * *

**AN: Well I think I should mention few things about Samantha. She initially appeared only in one omake - but then I decided to put her in prologue too, and then decided she turned out to be too interesting character to just forget about her. This shorts happens in roughly chronological order - so far everyone happened before prologue. There will be two, maybe three more form before Jaune left with leon. Then few more before rest of the cast meets her.**

**She is important character for story, because she had big impact on Jaune. Even initially, when she was supposed to appear only in single omake she helped him take important step forward. Well that's it for now. Please consider leaving a review.**

**See ya next week.**


	7. Of Scorpions and Sloths

**Welcome to ch 6 of TPA. Edited like always by JJD.**

* * *

**CH 6**

Jaune looked around, let out a tired sigh, and shook his head.

_Nope. No way. It's too early, and I'm too sober to deal with THAT._

He thought, turning away.

His partner looked at him with surprise.

"Jaune, where are you going?"

"As far away from this," he motioned to the scene behind him, "as I can."

Pyrrha looked shocked.

"But… shouldn't we help them?"

Jaune turned and spared a quick glance at what was happening behind him. Two words came to mind.

'Chaos', and 'Madness'.

Following the high concentration of Aura he spotted earlier, they had come upon a large clearing. There they found four other students - which was good news. They also noticed some ruins - probably where relic were hidden. This was also good news.

The bad news was that there was also a gigantic Deathstalker. It was currently chasing two girls - a brunette dressed in black and white Jaune thought he recognized from somewhere. The other had long mane of blond hair that Jaune had no problem recognizing. Yang turned, fired a few shots at the scorpion-like Grimm, and continued running.

The beast hissed and screeched, trying to catch the annoying humans.

A short girl, dressed in pink and white, swirled her warhammer over her head. She was currently sitting at the Deathstalker stinger, laughing maniacally, and from time to time shouting something Jaune couldn't quite hear - but he thought he heard the words 'queen', and 'castle'.

Chasing the Deathstalker - or the girl riding it - was a boy dressed in green.

He shot his partner a deadpan glare.

She coughed. "I-I mean… I really think we should…"

A loud screech echoed somewhere above them. Jaune and Pyrrha looked up to see a giant Nevermore. It was flying in zigzags, rising, and dropping, making sharp turns, barrel rolls and other acrobatics that he was sure it shouldn't be doing. It was either drunk - or trying to shake off someone riding it. Jaune wasn't sure which idea was crazier.

He looked at his partner and raised an eyebrow.

She made to speak, but was interrupted by a loud scream.

"TREASON! HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY YOUR PANCAKE QUEEN?!"

Pyrrha turned to see the Deathstalker chasing the black and yellow girls and the boy dressed in green. It apparently succeeded in shaking off the pink girl that was riding it. She was now chasing after the Grimm, swinging her weapon around wildly. It morphed, turning from warhammer to…

_Is that..._

...a grenade launcher. She fired a few shots, causing a few pink explosions to erupt near the scorpion Grimm.

Pyrrha stared at them for few seconds, then looked up to see the Nevermore start a steep climb and roll.

She looked back at Jaune with a determined expression. She opened her mouth to speak, but was again interrupted by a loud scream - this one getting louder by the second.

"Heeeeeeeads upppppppppppppp!"

Jaune turned. Before he could even think about doing something, Yang slammed into him. They both fell, skidded for a few meters, and stopped when Jaune's back hit a tree.

He looked into lilac eyes and smiled.

"Hi, Yang."

She grinned.

"Hi there Ladykiller. Nice catch."

"Think so?"

A few seconds passed.

"Yang?"

"Yes?"

"Would you mind getting off me?"

She pouted.

"You sure? We're having a moment. I think there's something between us…"

"The only thing between us right now is my armor, and some clothing."

She grinned at him.

"We can fix that…"

A startled gasp sounded behind them. Pyrrha stood there, face almost as red as her hair, mouth opening and closing wordlessly.

"Wow, a celebrity. You know her Ladykiller?"

"Yeah, kinda? She's my partner…"

Yang sat up, resting slightly below his waist. She placed both hands over her heart in mock hurt.

"You're already replacing me? After everything we have been through?"

_Does she realize where she is sitting?!_

Judging by her smirk - she did.

"Yang… we met like two days ago, and have talked like, two times."

It was then that Pyrrha finally managed to regain her composure. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then looked directly at the… woman, currently sitting on her partner and made to speak.

Only to be interrupted by a scream for the third time in the span of five minutes. All three of them looked up to the source of the loud screech.

The Nevermore, apparently desperate to get rid of its unwanted passengers, decided to dive bomb toward the ground. At some point, something white and something red, fell off the giant bird Grimm's back. Two silhouettes started growing rapidly, as they closed to earth. Both turned out to be girls - and Jaune recognized both of them.

_Is that Weiss? And…_

"Ruby!" Shouted Yang, getting up and sprinting towards where her sister would be landing.

Jaune sighed, got up, and walked towards his partner. For a moment, he hoped the Nevermore would hit the ground and kill itself, but it managed to pull up at last second. He stared at the scene for a few seconds and gave a tired sigh.

"I really hope this isn't a preview of how my life at Beacon will go." He said pinching the bridge of his nose.

He shook his head and walked forward.

"Come on," he said to Pyrrha, "I guess we have no choice but get involved now."

Both Ruby and Weiss reached the ground safely. The former was caught by her sister, the latter slowed her descent using her glyphs, and landed gracefully. The Witcher and his partner jogged up to three girls.

_A total of eight people, against two giant Grimm. It's going to be rough._ He analyzed their current situation.

_At least we have some heavy hitters. Now, how we should play this out? Split up, or focus on one? Damn, I've never fought a Deathstalker… what were their weak points?_   _Eyes… and I think their belly is less armored_.

He looked around. They had a lot of open space, and the terrain was relatively even. That meant it would be easier to maneuver - perfect scenario for taking on a hulking beast like the Deathstalker.

Or rather it would be, if not for the Nevermore. Open terrain meant it had a clear view of them, and they had nowhere to hide from its spear-like feathers. This made fighting the Deathstalker much harder.

_Probably would be best to retreat to the forest. But that's easier said than done…_

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden shout.

"Jaune!" A very excited Ruby appeared before him in a flurry of rose petals.

"What's up Ruby?" He nodded at her, but didn't take his eyes off the Grimm.

She smiled brightly at him, and started waving her hands and speaking excitedly.

"It's awesome! Listen, when I landed I wanted to find Yang, or you, but I found Weiss instead. I thought she would be angry at me because I ran into her luggage and exploded…"

_She did what?_

"Then we fought together, and she said I'm good, and that my baby is impressive…"

_Her WHAT?_ He shook his head.  _Focus. This is not a time for small talk._

"Ruby." He interrupted her when she started her tale of how she and her partner rode the giant Nevermore.

She looked at him and tilted her head quizzically.

"Not now. Let's leave this for after we finish initiation, ok?"

She blushed a little, and nodded.

They walked towards Yang and Weiss. He spared a single nod towards the heiress and continued walking towards the three people still fighting the Deathstalker.

Jaune closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

_Look. See. Understand. Plan._

The Witcher opened his eyes, and started to run towards the giant Grimm. His companions followed him.

There will be time for chat later. Now was time to kill some monsters.

* * *

Ruby bit her lower lip as she followed Jaune towards the Deathstalker.

_Focus Ruby! You can't get over excited like that!_

The young Huntress shook her head. Here she was, acting like a kid again. She really needed to get a hold of herself.

She spared a glance at her partner. Weiss was walking slightly behind Jaune, eyes focused on the Nevermore. Ruby was frankly a little afraid of her - and their little incident from day before hadn't helped. Thankfully, the heiress didn't seemed to mind - all she said was to be more careful in the future.

Ruby looked at Jaune again - more precisely at his weapons: a simple sword and shield. They didn't seemed to have any cool transformations - but she was ok with that. Classics had their own charm too, and not many people could appreciate it.

She looked over their small group, and a thought struck her.

Jaune was in the center. On his left was Weiss and on his right Pyrrha Nikos -  _the_ Pyrrha Nikos! Her sister was next to her, talking about something.

Ruby smiled and ran up to walk beside her partner.

_Heh, we look like superhero team walking to fight giant monsters! This is so cool!_

* * *

"So you got a plan Ladykiller?" The blond brawler asked.

The Witcher just shrugged.

"Kill Grimm. Grab relics. Finish Initiation. Don't die or suffer crippling injuries in the process."

Yang just shook her head, and Ruby smiled.

_Heh, that sounded like something uncle Qrow would say._ Ruby thought. Of course her new friend wasn't as awesome as her uncle - no one was - but he was closer than anyone Ruby knew.

After a second of thought, he started speaking.

"Guess we focus on Deathstalker first. It's heavily armored, but still easier to take down than a Nevermore that size."

"But we don't have to fight them at all, do we?" Someone said.

Only when everyone focused on her, Ruby realised it was her. She squirmed under the sudden attention.

"I-I mean we just need to get relics right?"

They continued to stare, so she continued to speak.

"So...we could just run in, grab the relics, and kinda run away?" She started poking her index fingers together. "I-it's just idea. I mean, if we don't have to fight them…" she trailed off, looking at her feet.

"And a good one." She looked up, to see the sole male in they group giving her a smile and nod.

"Ok, Pyrrha, me and Yang will join with those three. Weiss, you try to keep Nevermore off us. Ruby, you…" He paused for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak again. He didn't get a chance.

Suddenly, Ruby pulled out what he assumed was her weapon. It shifted, and morphed, and moment later the massive blade of scythe impaled itself into ground. The clearly visible barrel confirmed that yes, it was also a gun.

The red Huntress dropped to one knee, finger at the trigger.

The Witcher did the same, turning around and raising his shield - to both give the sniper behind him better view on target, and cover her from any attack.

Before he even touched ground, the first shot rang out, followed shortly by two more. The giant Nevermore that was about to rain feathers on the three teens fighting Deathstalker, recoiled, let out an angry squawk, and flew away.

_Three shots in less than three seconds after deploying her weapon. All three hit moving target around three hundreds meters away._ The Witcher smiled.  _She is good._

"Ruby, you have AP ammo? Or Dust?"

"No, only standard."

_Yeah, it would be too easy, wouldn't it?_

"Ok, then focus on distracting the Nevermore. Don't waste ammo trying to kill it, you would need something bigger for that. Weiss cover her."

He looked around "Everyone ready?"

They nodded.

"Ok, let's go!"

* * *

_Damn, I wish I knew what I'm doing._

The young Witcher winced.

_It was usually Leon who was doing the planning… and we almost never worked with so many people…_

The people fighting Deathstalker noticed incoming reinforcements and started backing off, trying to join with them.

_Ok, focus. You know the basics of group combat, and Leon always said you got knack for this strategy stuff._

He could hear the Nevermore screech - that turned into a surprised squawk when one of Ruby's bullets hit it.

All six teens finally joined and faced the giant scorpion-like Grimm.

_Hey, maybe someone else will take charge? There are six people here, and one of them is a celebrity…_

"So we joined them. What's next Ladykiller?"

_Damn it Yang._

He spared a quick glance at his companions. All eyes were focused at him. He sighed.

_Ok, let's do it. Six people, five with range. But only Hammer-girl and maybe Yang have enough punch to really damage this thing._

The Deathstalker was almost upon them.

The blond Witcher took a deep breath and spoke.

"Pyrrha with me, we go from the front. Focus on defending, we will try to lock it in place." His partner nodded, raising her shield and reading her spear.

"Yang, Hammer-girl - flank it and try to break it legs." Yang winked at him and dashed right. The other girl smiled brightly, and with far more enthusiasm than the situation warranted, dashed left.

"Green, Black - see if you can disable its stinger. If not, just keep shooting at it, keep it distracted."

They nodded, and started to circle around the beast, peppering it with shots.

_Ok, let's hope this will work. And that we won't kill each other._

He nodded to his partner, and they both charged at Grimm. It screeched, and swang its pincers at them.

The Witcher let it slide off his shield, wincing at the force of blow. He tried to cut the thing off, but his sword just skidded off the creature's armor. His partner lashed out too - and with much better results. Pyrrha's spear reached one of its eyes, causing creature to screech again - but this time in pain.

More of this followed when Yang slammed her fist into its right middle leg. She didn't manage to break it off - but a loud crack and the way Grimm staggered indicated it was damaged. Soon after, a hammer slammed into left hind leg - breaking it off.

It wobbled, trying to regain its balance.

The hammer slammed into the joint of its front left leg, breaking it.

It tried to turn around and crush the offender in its pincers.

A kite shield stopped its movement. A moment later, a sharp blade bit into the joint connecting its arm. It didn't cut the pincers off - but they were no longer usable.

Grimm tried to grab the culprit in its other pincers.

Another shield stopped it, and a red spear buried itself into its eye.

It screeched in pain, and swung its healthy pincer, knocking the attacker away.

A gauntlet slammed into the joint of its right front leg, breaking it.

It reared its tail, ready to stab.

A black ribbon wrapped around it holding it in place. Moments later, the black haired boy jumped at the Deathstalker's stinger, shooting and slashing it, knocking the appendage off.

"Back off!"

At the Witcher's, command everyone jumped back a few steps. The Grimm tried to regain its balance - and failed. It staggered from side to side, eventually crashing down. It tried to stand up again - but its remaining legs couldn't support its weight.

_I guess we could just leave it like that…_

His eyes narrowed.

_But leaving a live Grimm behind is never a good idea._

He opened his mouth to speak - but a loud screech interrupted him.

"Watch out!" Ruby screamed. They all spread out. A moment later, spear-like feathers rained down on them. Apparently the Nevermore realized that two annoying humans can't hurt it too much - so it decided to focus on the bigger group.

_Damn, forget about that one. Guess I'll have to come up with plan to deal with Birdy too…_

Seconds after the Nevermore finished its attack, Ruby appeared in front of him.

"You ok Jaune?"

"Yeah. But I think we will have to take that thing down after all." He said nodding towards the flying Grimm, who was now circling back, preparing for another attack. Ruby smiled at him.

"Don't worry, I have a plan!"

He looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Mind sharing it? From what I saw no one here has a gun big enough to take down that damn bird,"

Ruby smiled in way that almost made her look vicious. Almost. She looked more adorable than anything.

"Well, let's just say I found something bigger to shoot the Nevermore with. But I'll need few people to help me."

"Who?"

"Weiss, Yang, and the girl with the bow."

He looked at her for a few seconds, then just shrugged and nodded.

"Ok. Rest of us will be able to deal with Deathstalker.."

She cheered and ran off to her sister.

_Heh, adorable._

He looked up at the Nevermore who was still circling around. Then a thought struck him.

_Hmm.. I find girl with a giant sniper-scythe talking about killing giant Grimm adorable… I think there is something wrong with me…_

He shook his head. Then jumped to the side, and rolled to avoid another rain of feathers.

_Now what to do? We could try to grab the relic and run, but grouping when that thing is on us is dangerous. Spread out? No, this…"_

His thought were interrupted when a decently sized boulder flew through air, narrowly missing the flying Grimm. Two more quickly followed, a third one catching beast's tail, eliciting a loud screech. It turned toward the source of this sudden assault - the ruins where the relics were hidden. And the place where Ruby ran off with the three girls she mentioned.

Jaune could see her now. Standing on top of a broken pillar ponting at Nevermore. A moment later, the next boulder flew out, just barely missing the Grimm. The beast reared, preparing to rain its feathers on the humans below.

The next boulder caught it straight in the chest. It tried to regain its balance, but more shots soon followed. The beast fell, hitting the ground hard. It somehow managed to stand up and let out a loud screech. It was cut short when another boulder hit it right in the head. It crawled up again and tried to fly off - but cleary had trouble catching its balance.

The next thing that flew out of ruins was not a boulder. It was smaller, red, and much more deadly. Ruby traveled the hundred meters that separated her from the bird Grimm in less than a second. Her scythe wrapped around creatures neck, dragging it back. There was a moment of suspension, when the young Huntress was just hung in the air - and then the Nevermore's head was separated from its body.

The Witcher took a deep breath, and slowly let it go.

_Cool. But too dangerous. This is not damn circus to be showing off like that._

He took another deep breath, held it and let go.

_Well, I guess it worked out._ He looked back to Deathstalker - which was still trying to get up. And to remove Pyrrha's spear, still lodged into its eye.

He motioned to his partner to follow, and walked towards the hammer wielding girl and green clad boy. They were talking… well more like the girl was talking, and boy only nodded from time to time.

"You saw that Renny? It was. SO. COOL!"

"Yes Nora."

"She just flew at that Nevermore and took it's head off!"

"Yes Nora."

"You think we could do something like that too? If I hit you with Magnhild REALLY hard, I'm sure you could fly even faster!"

"I don't think that is a good idea Nora."

She paused for a moment, looked lost in thought.

"You sure?" She finally asked.

The boy just nodded. The girl, apparently named Nora, stared at him for few seconds, then just shrugged.

"Oh, well. What kind of pancakes will you be making today? I want blackberry. Or maybe strawberry? Oh, banana ones!"

The black haired boy just sighed. Jaune blinked.

_That was...random._

He and his partner approached the other pair. He coughed to get their attention.

"Hey, how about we wrap things up here, and finish initiation? I don't know about you, but I could really use shower and meal."

He extended his hand towards the boy. "I'm Jaune Arc by the way."

"Lie Ren." He said

"I'm Nora!" Hammer-girl exclaimed.

He nodded, and after Pyrrha introduced herself - not that it was needed - they walked back towards the Deathstalker - who managed to pull off Pyrrha's spear and toss it aside.

"So how are we doing this?" Asked Ren.

"Take out the rest of its legs, should be easy now. I'll pin down its tail. It's not too dangerous now that stinger is gone, but it can still hurt."

"Isn't that a bit.., excessive? It's not dangerous anymore - I mean it can't even stand." Said Pyrrha. She ran off moment earlier to retrieve her weapon, and now was staring at her partner with a complicated expression.

The Witcher just sighed.

"It's a Grimm. A big one. It stops being dangerous when it's dead - not a second earlier. We managed to almost take it out with no casualties. I'm not taking any chances."

She started at him for a few moments, then nodded.

"Pyrrha, when we immobilize it, you get on top of it, and try to finish it off. Nora - help her."

A few moments later, Pyrrha's spear slammed into the now completely immobilized Grimm head. Its armor provided too thick to be pierced so easily - but one solid hit from Nora's hammer fixed that.

Then they joined four girls in the ruins and grabbed their relics.

_Now the only thing left to do is get the hell out of this forest. Preferably without running into any more giant Grimm._

* * *

Jaune fell on his bed and looked around the dorm room. It wasn't too big, but not really small either. Certainly big enough to house their four person team. Team JNPR. His team.

_So… team leader, huh? Not sure how I feel about that._

He looked around. His teammates were unpacking, chatting all the while. He just laid there for few moments looking at them. Slowly, a small smile crept up on his face.

_I did it. I got into Beacon._

"Jaune? Why aren't you unpacking?" Asked Pyrrha.

He sat up and shrugged.

"Most of my stuff still hasn't been delivered yet." When he noticed her questioning gaze, he continued. "My admission was a bit… sudden. Since I didn't go to combat school, I had to take a special entrance exam and… well it was all very last-minute. Didn't get a chance to grab my stuff from where I was staying."

"I see."

"So who was training you?" Asked Nora, bouncing on her bed.

"A Hunter named Leon. We met by accident, one thing kind of led to another, and he agreed to take me under his wing. We traveled together for almost four years. About six months ago, he decided I was good enough to go on my own and we separated."

"Was it hard?" asked Pyrrha.

"Are you refer to training or traveling?"

She mused for a moment.

"Both."

"Well training was hell. I thought I was going to die more than once. Leon is not one to pull his punches, and believes the best teacher is experience. He once led me into the middle of nowhere and left me there for four weeks."

Pyrrha gasped.

"That sounds...irresponsible. What if something happened to you?"

Jaune just shrugged. "Then it would mean I wasn't good enough." Seeing his partner's shocked expression, he continued.

"It's not like he just dumped me there without any preparation. It was about a year after we started traveling together. He taught me many things - not only how to kill Grimm, but also how to survive in the Wilds."

He paused for a moment then added.

"You can say it was my end-of-year exam. And he didn't actually abandoned me - he was in the area the whole time. Found a few traces of him camping there." Jaune smiled at the memory.

"Leon always played this tough, uncaring type, but he has a soft heart, and a protective streak a mile wide. We once chased one guy all the way to Mistral and back to Vale just because he stole from one of Leon's friends."

"Did you break their legs?" Nora asked.

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, and Ren waived her off.

"He sounds like an interesting person." Said Ren.

Jaune chuckled. "Oh he is."

"Maybe you can introduce us one day." Pyrrha said with a small smile.

"I would love to. But I doubt it will happen anytime soon. He travels a lot, and he hates big cities. He only comes to one when he really has to."

"So how was traveling with him? It must have been sooooooo exciting!" Nora shouted.

Jaune laughed.

"Oh yeah, it was. We traveled all over Remnant. At first it was rough, but before I knew it I was hooked on this traveling stuff. I got it so bad I couldn't even sleep well if we stayed in one place for more than a week."

He looked over his team.

"So, how about you guys? I shared a bit of my story, now it's your turn."

Nora bounced to her feet and started to talk, waving her hands around.

"Well, Me and Renny are together - but not together-together, that would be weird - for like forever now. We're travelers too! Grew up in an orphanage with Sister Martha, haven't had a home-home for a long time now. There was an old Huntsman that lived nearby, he taught us how to fight, and helped us get our weapons." She made explosion noises with her mouth and fired imaginary guns. She smiled wistfully. "Sister Martha hated that last part. And then we came to Beacon, because, well Beacon! Soon we'll start our own business selling Ursa skin rugs." She finished with a flourish of her arms.

Ren sighed. "Nora, we've been through this, you can't sell Grimm pelts."

Jaune smiled. "Hey man, don't crush her dreams."

"Yeah Renny!" Nora cried out.

Ren shot him a smirk. "You'll soon learn the dangers of encouraging her. That dream is your problem now."

Jaune laughed nervously.

Nora ignored them both, tapping her finger against her lip. "What else?" She considered as she continued her perpetual bouncing.

"Oh! Renny makes best pancakes in the world. And I like sloths...a lot." She added, then nodded to herself and sat back on her bed, bouncing up and down.

Pyrrha stared at her for few moments, trying to figure out what to do with this random information.

Ren just shook his head and mouthed 'let it go.'

"Nora and I have been lucky enough to benefit from the kindness of strangers, much like yourself Jaune. Sister Martha and Butch helped us get to where we are."

Jaune smiled at the green clad boy. "Hey, my mom always says that strangers are just friends that you haven't met yet." He considered the boy for a moment. "Did you say Butch? As in a Hunter named Butch? Guy with a beard that he was way too proud of?"

"Renny, he knows Butchy! Our meeting has been foretold in the stars!" Nora jumped in.

"Nora, I'm fairly certain that stars don't work that way." He stared at Jaune, daring him to contradict him this time. "I can't believe you've met Butch, small world. Where at?"

"We worked a job together when I was still training under Leon. He lost the beard by the way, said he shaved it for a woman."

Pyrrha made an 'awww' noise in the background.

Ren smiled. "Yes, Sister Martha. I'm afraid Nora is to blame for that one."

"Cause I'm cupid! Spreading love with my grenade launcher!" Nora exclaimed as she covered the room in imaginary grenades.

"Nora, I don't think that…" Pyrrha started before Jaune placed a warning hand on her shoulder, much to Ren's amusement.

He sighed.

_This is the girl that rode on stinger of giant Deathstalker… honestly, 'normal' is not something I should be expecting from her._

"So, how about you Pyrrha?" He asked his partner.

She shuffled nervously. "Well, I'm from Mistral. And it looks like I'm only one here who went to combat prep school."

"How was it?"

"Well… normal. No one would dump us in middle of the forest for four weeks. It was mostly a normal school, but with combat and Grimm-related classes. In the third year, it became more combat focused. In the middle of third year, a few of the best students were taken out to assist veteran hunters on some routine mission. It wasn't anything big - we encountered a few Beowolves, and that was it."

Nora stopped bouncing for a moment. "Waaaaiiiittttt. Aren't you that really famous champion chick?"

Pyrrha stared at the floor. "I suppose I am."

Jaune readied himself to steer the conversation away from the subject when Nora beat him to it.

"Cool! We should fight to the death sometime!"

"Nora, we're not fighting anyone to the death, especially our teammates." Ren corrected.

"What about to the pain?"

"Still no." He confirmed.

She let out an exasperated sigh, and fell back on the bed.

The suddenly sat up with shy smile.

"Then.. how about to the pancake?"

Ren shook his head as Pyrrha burst out laughing.

Jaune made to speak, but a sharp pain in his right hand stopped him. He could also feel a dull pounding in his head - a sign of an oncoming migraine.

_Oh well,_ he though wincing,  _it was bound to happen sooner or later._

"Jaune? What's wrong?" His partner asked.

He shot her a smile and shrugged.

"Just a little headache. Happens from time to time when I overdo it with my Semblance."

Seeing her worried expression, he quickly added.

"I'll be fine. Just need to sleep it off. Speaking of which - it's getting late, so I think we should call it a day. We have lessons tomorrow after all."

They all agreed. Since the girls already took a shower, and Ren was busy explaining to Nora why they couldn't go to Vale zoo to steal a sloth and make it their team mascot, Jaune went to the bathroom. He closed the door, and carefully took off an armored glove and started examining his right hand.

_Well, it could be worse._ He thought. Most of it was pitch black - like the blade his longsword. Or Harrowed skin.

He looked over the limb, flexing his fingers, noticing several black veins that pulsated in rhythm with his heart. He didn't lie to Pyrrha - this was an effect of overusing his semblance. More precisely - mixing a few elixirs, and activating Eclipse - even if it wasn't a full awakening.

He would be fine the next morning - partial corruption like that wasn't dangerous as long as he had his Aura. All he needed was some rest and to not to do anything too crazy.

Jaune shrugged and undressed. He took quick shower, and after he was done, applied a bit of special salve on his right hand. It would ease the pain, and quicken healing.

When he returned to the room. Nora was already in her bed. He walked over to his, and after brief consideration, took off his jeans and went in. After a few moments Ren walked out of bathroom. Four 'good nights' sounded off, lights were turned off, and team JNPR fell fast asleep. Thankfully, no one asked their team leader why he chose to sleep with a glove on his right hand.

* * *

**AN: And that wraps up initiation. We start… 'normal' Beacon days now. Just a word of warning - I may or may not mess up with timing of events here.**

**I initially wanted to skip fight vs Deathstalker and Nevermore. But then I realized I would be missing out on a perfect scene for introducing Nora and Ren to story. Turns out writing our female Thor is much easier than I thought - just come up with bunch of insane things and you are set.**

**JJD: I think that one think Cr00cy and I have both been adamant about is capturing the family dynamic of JNPR. It's one of the things that makes the show, and so we've been careful (read spent hours debating about it) to try to make sure we do it justice.**

**Anyway - here is another Samantha short, written by JJD:**

**JJD: Sam is my new favorite character.**

* * *

**Stole the song 'Spanish Lady' from Celtic Woman. It's good, give it a listen.**

"Sam, I don't know about this." Jaune started nervously.

"You want to go to the fair right?" She questioned.

"Well, yeah."

"But we don't have any cash." She continued.

"True."

"And you play the guitar."

"A little." He admitted.

"And I dance." She proclaimed proudly.

"So you do."

Her eyes narrowed. "I dance well, don't I Jaune?"

He waived his hands excitedly, "Very well! The best!"

She smiled. "The we don't have a problem! We'll play in the town square and rake in the cash!"

"I just don't know how well that's going to work. We're not exactly pros."

"You're being a downer Jaune." She chastised him. "Everybody starts somewhere, and you promised me!"

He hung his head in defeat. "So I did."

"Then let's rock this place!" She exclaimed.

He sighed. "When do we start?"

"As soon as you grab that damn guitar."

"Language!"

Jaune tuned his guitar from his place on the fountain in the town square, as he watched Sam slowly walk her way through the steps, prepping for the performance.

People had started to slow their walks, looking on in curiosity as the couple set their stage.

He strummed his guitar once more, nodding in appreciation of the sound.

"You ready Sam?"

She huffed. "I was born ready."

He chuckled as he launched into the song, watching Sam start the familiar steps of the dance.

She began to sing.

_As I came down through Vacuo City_

_At the hour of twelve at night_

_Who should I see but the Sanus Lady_

_Washing her feet by candlelight_

_First she washed them, then she dried them_

_Over a fire of amber coal_

_In all my life I never did see_

_A maid so sweet about the soul_

He nodded along, watching as Sam increased her pace, spinning in place.

_Whack for the toora loora laddy_

_Whack for the toora loora lay_

_Whack for the toora loora laddy_

_Whack for the toora loora lay_

People had started to gather now, some beginning to clap in time with the music.

_As I came back through Vacuo City,_

_At the hour of half past eight_

_Who should I spy but the Sanus Lady_

_Brushing her hair in the broad daylight_

_First she tossed it, then she brushed it_

_On her lap was a silver comb_

_In all my life I never did see_

_A maid so fair since I did roam_

Sam had completely abandoned the normal steps, starting in on her own version of the dance. Jaune strummed faster, struggling to keep up with her.

_Whack for the toora loora laddy_

_Whack for the toora loora lay_

_Whack for the toora loora laddy_

_Whack for the toora loora lay_

The crowd had grown exponentially, the townsfolk stomping in time with the music, smiles wide on their faces.

_As I went back through Vacuo City_

_As the sun began to set_

_Who should I spy but the Sanus Lady_

_Catching a moth in a golden net_

_When she saw me, then she fled me_

_Lifting her petticoat over her knee_

_In all my life I never did see_

_A maid so shy as the Sanus Lady_

Sam's feet were a blur, barely seeming to touch the ground. It was amazing. She was amazing.

_Whack for the toora loora laddy_

_Whack for the toora loora lay_

_Whack for the toora loora laddy_

_Whack for the toora loora lay_

_Whack for the toora loora laddy_

_Whack for the toora loora lay_

_Whack for the toora loora laddy_

_Whack for the toora loora lay_

His hand dropped from the guitar, feeling strangely exhausted. He looked up at to see Sam give a long bow to the crowd that had gathered.

He shook his head. God she was arrogant.

Coins began raining down on them, more than they could possibly need.

Well...maybe not so arrogant.

She turned and grinned at him.

"You totally owe me ice-cream."


	8. First day of the rest of your life

**And here comes ch 7 of TPA. JJD is editor-in-chief, as usual.**

* * *

**CH 7**

It was a peaceful morning in Beacon. All the new students fast asleep in the beds, getting well deserved rest after completing their initiation. Soon, they would have to get up and start their first day of school - but for now, they all could rest for a bit longer.

Well, all of them except one team. A tall figure stood in team JNPR's room, looking over the sleeping teens. They were so peaceful, so calm. So defenseless.

The figure's mouth stretched in an evil, vicious smile. It reached into its pocket and pulled out a small item. If someone would have been watching the scene, they would surely have gasped in shock and understanding of what was about to befall the young students sleeping peacefully in their beds. Alas, there was none who were watching, no one to stop the mysterious figure from executing its evil plan.

The sharp tone of a whistle sounded impossibly loud in the quiet room. Nora jumped straight up, her pillow held in hand, ready to throw it at the source of the noise.

Pyrrha tried to roll out of her bed, but got tangled in her covers, and fell. She groaned loudly, then decided that trying to free herself was not worth the effort, so she just curled in the fetal position and tried to go back to sleep.

Ren sat on his bed and raised a single eyebrow.

Jaune smiled and put the whistle back in his pocket.

"Wake up sleepy heads. We only have an hour and a half until classes starts. We don't want to be late on our first day, do we?"

Nora's pillow dropped from her hands as she turned to Ren and shouted. "Renny! It's our first day, they'll be pancakes, and Grimm, and cliques! We have to find a good clique Renny, tv told me so! Oh, I'm so nervous!" She bolted towards the bathroom.

Ren shook his head, and started his morning stretching routine.

The only response from Pyrrha was some muffed mumbling.

Jaune walked towards his partner, and gently shook her.

"Come on Pyrrha, it's time to get up."

More mumbling.

"No Pyrrha, you can't go back to sleep. Just get up, the longer you drag this out the worse it gets."

There were some more mumbling, and the cocoon made of blankets and his partner tightened.

Jaune sighed.

"Pyrrha if you don't get up now, I'm afraid I will be forced to use more forceful methods."

The cocoon tightened even further. One green eye peeked out, staring at him menacingly.

"Ok, you have been warned."

Jaune walked towards his bed and pulled something from under it. Pyrrha gasped and actually sat up when she noticed what her partner and team leader had in his hands.

"You wouldn't." She said.

"How much are you willing to bet on that statement?" He answered with a half-smile.

"You can't. You … you are our team leader, shouldn't you be looking out for us?"

"But I am! Just imagine what would happen if we were late to class on our very first day. Our reputation would be ruined. As team leader I simply cannot allow this to happen."

He smiled at her.

"Come on Pyrrha, you're already awake. Just get up. Don't force me to use this." He said, lifting bucket full of, no doubt ice-cold, water.

Pyrrha stared at him for a few moments, looking for any indication he might be bluffing. When she found none, she untagled herself, and mumbling something about merciless tyrants, gathered her clothes and joined Nora in the bathroom.

"That was dangerous." said Ren.

Jaune looked at him at shrugged.

"We are training to fight giant monsters that exist for sole purpose of killing us. What's a little more danger?"

Ren just shook his head.

After they all got ready, they went to cafeteria to grab some food. Pyrrha, after a lot of grumbling and complaining, finally forgave him for the sudden wake-up call.

"So what is our first lesson?" Asked Ren after taking sip of his tea.

"Grimm Studies with professor Peter Port." Answered Pyrrha. She just finished her sandwich and was checking their schedule on her scroll.

"Port?" Asked Jaune, fork with scrambled eggs on beacon stopping just before his mouth.

"You know him Jaune?" His partner asked.

"Just by reputation. He is pretty famous in certain circles."

"Famous? What for?" Asked Nora excitedly.

"Well, he is old, but still an active Hunter." Answered Jaune and coming back to his breakfast.

"He is…an old Hunter? And that makes him famous?" Asked Nora, disappointment clearly visible on her face.

Jaune paused, looked over his team, and sighed.

_They really don't get it, do they?_

"No Nora. He is an old,  _active_ Hunter."

They still stared at him. He just shook his head.

"Do you guys know the average retirement age of Hunters?"

None of them answered, so he continued.

"Around 40 years old. Most stop being active much earlier - around 30-35. Just to clarify - by 'active' I mean the ones who go out in the Wilds. The most common reason for retirement is either because they started a family, or because they are no longer capable of fighting. Sometimes it means they got crippled. Those are lucky ones." He didn't say what happened to unlucky ones. Judging by how his teammates shifted nervously, he didn't need to.

_Ok, maybe I shouldn't be saying this…_

He sighed and continued.

"Peter Port is well over sixty, and he regularly visits the wilds. Not even the frontier - but what we call the 'Deep Wilds'." Jaune looked every one of his teammates in the eye, his face completely serious.

"My teacher was always saying that to survive as Hunter you need three things: skill, determination, and experience. The older you are, the more of them you have - and need. Since professor Port survived that long, and is still active - I can only imagine how much of the three he has." Jaune finished, and looked at his teammates. They seemed contemplative.

 _Looks like they finally got it._ He smiled, and finished his breakfast.

"I guess that means we will have to pay close attention to what he is saying." Said Pyrrha with small smile.

"Yeah! Maybe he knows how to skin an Ursa. We could ask him, and then we could start selling them! We…"

"Nora."

"Yes, Ren?"

"Finish your breakfast. We need to go to class soon."

"Ok Renny!".

"Well, I don't think he knows that." Said Pyrrha carefully. "But I'm sure that his lesson will be very interesting nonetheless."

* * *

_This is not interesting! It's not interesting AT. ALL!_

Pyrrha shot her partner an evil glare. Or tried to. That would require energy - something she found herself severely lacking at the moment. And she wasn't the only one. In fact, most of the classroom seemed to be out. Some people were talking quietly to friends, some played games on they scrolls. There were few who looked like they were actually paying attention, but they were minority. Most of students were fast asleep. The only reason she was not among them was iron discipline.

And her partner. Jaune seemed to be not affected at all by the mind-numbing tales of their professor. He was twirling his pen between his fingers, stopping from time to time to scribble something in his notebook. The whole time he was focused on talking man.

Pyrrha, with titanic effort, tried to do the same.

_A reason. There has to be one for all of this._

But what? Pyrrha couldn't figure it out. Maybe there was some meaning hidden in this ridiculous story? Some message? She vaguely recalled her third year in combat school and a mission she was taking part in. One of Hunters she accompanied told her that in the Wilds you often have to spend days, or weeks with nothing happening - but you can't let your guard down. Attacks can come at any time.

Was that it? Was this tale just distraction, a test to see if they could remain vigilant even under extreme circumstances? She looked left, where two of her teammates sat. Nora was lying on her desk, snoring quietly and from time to time mumbling something about pancakes and sloths. She was one of the first victims of professor Port's tale.

Ren was sitting up, pencil in hand and focused on his notebook, taking notes. Or rather he might have tried once upon time - his hand stopped moving about halfway through lesson. Judging by his breathing, he was fast asleep too. Pyrrha wanted nothing more than to join the two.

Instead she looked right, towards her team leader. He, unlike Ren, was actually taking notes. And by the look of it - he'd made quite a few of them. He was looking at their professor intensely, nodding from time to time.

_What?! What do you see here? How can you be so focused? What am I missing?_

Was it this a "practice vs book smarts" thing? Was Jaune able to catch something in the old Hunter's tale because he had practical experience? Pyrrha yet again recalled her short trip in the field. Indeed, she learned quite a few things there. Things that were not covered in textbooks, that maybe weren't necessary to know - but knowing them certainly helped.

Her eyes swept over the classroom, and students almost entirely devoid of energy.

_Is this his Semblance? Does he suck out our energy? But where he would store it?_

She focused back on the talking man.

_Maybe in his mustache?_

This though made her giggle a little. She shook her head, hoping to clear her mind, at least a bit.

_No, focus on the lesson. If Jaune can see sense in it, you can too._

"I do!" A sudden shout broke Pyrrha out of her thoughts - if only because it broke the monotony of the teacher's tale.

She looked to source of the voice - Weiss Schnee was standing, her arm raised high.

_Did she volunteer for something?_

Pyrrha lazyly scanned the classroom, and noticed a big, metal cage. It was shaking violently, a low growling escaping from within from time to time.

 _Is that… a live Grimm_?

This was… good. Very good. A live Grimm in classroom meant someone would fight it, and that meant the story would come to an end. Pyrrha smiled. She did it! She survived to the end.

She slapped her cheeks to wake up, and focused on the young heiress who was now armed, and ready to fight.

_After this, I'll have to ask Jaune what he saw in that story. There had to be something, considering how many notes he took._

* * *

"Ahhhhhhh, it was awful. I can't believe we rushed for that." Complained Yang, stretching.

Weiss fight went as expected - the lone Boarbatusk didn't pose much challenge for the young Huntress in training.

"Don't say that. While I admit that story was… not the best, professor Port wanted to pass a valuable lesson on to us."

"And what lesson was that, Weiss-cream?" The blond brawler asked with a raised eyebrow.

The heiress stammered and looked to the side, cheeks slightly darker.

"Well Yang, don't tell me you didn't get it?" A new voice sounded. They turned around to see Jaune and his team approaching.

"Hi guys." He said, raising a hand. He turned to heiress. "Nice fight Weiss."

She smiled and nodded to him.

"Well, thank you."

"Ok, so care to enlighten us what this important lesson was, Ladykiller?"

Jaune looked at Yang and blinked a few times in surprise.

"Wait, you really didn't get it?"

She shook her head.

He looked to Ruby - but she laughed nervously, tapping her index fingers together. He looked at Blake - but she was suddenly very interested in the ceiling. He turned to Weiss - but she looked away, mumbling something under her breath.

Jaune stared at them for a few seconds

"Wa.. Bu.." He took deep breath, and slowly let it go.

"None of you got it? But it's so… obvious!" There were few seconds of awkward silence and shuffling.

Jaune just shook his head.

"What the hell did they teach you in those combat schools?"

The only answer was more silence and more shuffling.

"Guess we will have to coach these poor souls, right guys?" He said, turning towards his team.

None of them met his eyes.

"Guys?" There was no answer.

"Ren? Nora? You guys were taught by a Hunter, surely you know what I'm talking about?"

"Well.." Ren looked embarrassed when he started speaking. "Butch taught us mostly fighting. As for theory... There was a cram school nearby that taught us most of the basics. And we did a lot of self-study."

He stared at them for few seconds, then turned to his partner, eyes pleading.

"P-Pyrrha? Surely, you…"

Her cheeks were almost as red as her hair now.

"I-I'm sorry…"

Jane looked over both teams, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"So, I'm the only one?"

No one said anything, but that was an answer in itself.

He sighed.

"Ok, listen. The thing about Beowolves is that…"

* * *

"How could you not know that!" Weiss practically screeched.

"Hey, who cares who led some battle fifty or so years ago? It has nothing to do with killing Grimm." Jaune defended.

"Because this is our history! Not even ancient history - modern history! We still feel the repercussions of these events!"

"Really? Strange, because I didn't feel any when I was in the Wilds trying to survive against Grimm! You know, the things that are trying to kill all of us  _now_!"

"Jaune…" Pyrrha interjected

"Yes?"

"Weiss does have a point. These are important things to know." She winced at look of utter betrayal on his face.

"Oh cheer up Ladykiller." Said Yang, patting him on the back. "No need to be so grumpy, just because you will have to take extra lessons with Oobleck." Jaune shot her an annoyed look, and mumbled something under his breath.

"Yeah, cheer up! It can't be worse than professor Port's class!" Ruby quipped.

"Hey, Port's class was good! At least he was talking about things that matter."

They all shot him deadpan looks.

"Jaune. No one besides you had any idea what he was talking about. No. One. I checked." Said Weiss.

"Not my fault, or his, that you all have severe lack in education. Maybe I should go to him and suggest he make extra lessons for you lot?"

There was a moment of tense silence.

"H-hey Jaune let's not go to far, ok?" Said Yang nervously.

"Y-yeah , there is no need to go that far. We were just messing around!" Ruby added.

"Messing around?" Jaune said sternly. Ruby whimpered and looked even more nervous.

"Messing around can get you killed in the field. It becomes more and more apparent that you lot need some extra lessons with an experienced Hunter." He smiled at them.

"It's good thing there are so many experienced hunters here at Beacon. I'm sure our Grimm Studies professor would be more than happy to help his students, share some of his time…"

Jaune's smile would make the Devil proud.

"... and stories."

"N-now Jaune let's be reasonable. This was just a minor slip up, I'm sure there is no need to waste the time of our esteemed professor with something this trivial." Weiss said quickly, shoving her partner to the side.

Jaune marveled for a moment at their panic.

_Ok, this is fun, but I need to cut down on this teasing before I go too far. They will murder me in my sleep._

"I guess you are right… " he said, tapping his chin with a finger.

"Ok, stop staring at me like that. I was just joking." He said, waving his hand.

"That was NOT funny Arc." Weiss growled at him.

"I beg to differ Miss Schnee." Jaune countered with smile.

There was a moment of silence when the two of then stared at each other.

"So… are you two going to kiss now?" Yang interjected.

"As if I would ever do it with that dunce." Weiss huffed.

Jaune just shook his head.

"Yeah, no thanks, I'll pass. I don't want to turn into an ice sculpture."

"It's just that you two bicker like an old couple. Wanted to make sure Ladykiller is still on menu." Said Yang, winking at him.

Weiss just sighed.

"Xiao Long, just because I'm talking with someone doesn't mean we are couple."

"Yeah, but you are nicer to him than to...well, anyone really." Said Blake.

"That's not true!"

"It kinda is…" Ruby mumbled.

Weiss glared at her.

"What was that?"

"N-nothing!" The young huntress stammered, hiding behind her sister.

"Guys, how about we stop this and just get going? Next is combat class with Miss Goodwitch. I'm sure none of us want to be late for that." Jaune's proposition was met with unanimous agreement.

* * *

"Stop! The match is over. Miss Nikos wins."

Frankly, Jaune was not surprised. Between her fame as a four time champion, and what he saw during initiation, he doubted there were too many people their age that could go against his partner. Her fight, though calling what happened that was way too generous, didn't even last a minute. And it was completely one-sided from start to finish.

Pyrrha's opponent - some spear-wielding guy whose name Jaune didn't bother to remember - looked very confident when he stepped into the arena. "Finally someone who might make me break a sweat" he said just before match started.

Jaune was not sure if Pyrrha made him break sweat or not - the fight was very short after all - but she quite likely broke his nose, when her shield slammed into her opponent's face right after the match started.

He smiled when he saw his partner's extended hand to her downed opponent. His eyes narrowed at Pyrrha's hurt expression when guy swatted her hand aside.

_It seems someone is a sore loser._

After some brief consideration he decided against having "The Talk" with guy. Afterall being a sore loser didn't quite mean he was a bad person - just that he lacked spine.

_But I better keep an eye on him. In case he tries something._

"Next match - Miss Xiao Long vs Miss Valkyrie. Please prepare to fight."

Both girls were all too happy to comply.

 _Now this should be interesting._ Thought Jaune.

From what he could recall both fighters were very aggressive, and didn't do too many acrobatics. Well, less than most Beacon students he had seen until now.

_Hmm… I think Nora has the advantage here. Judging by the damage they did to that Deathstalker, she hits harder, and has better range. Both are very aggressive, and prefer standoff fights._

"Begin!" Miss Goodwitch announced the start of fight. To Jaune surprise, Nora didn't charge ahead, but held her ground, content to let her opponent come.

Yang didn't make her wait long. She fired her gauntlets backwards, using the added momentum to close the distance in mere seconds. Nora swung her hammer diagonally - a wide, telegraphed attack, made more to stop her opponent's charge, than to hit her.

But strangely enough, Yang didn't stop. Instead she stepped in, narrowly avoiding the hammer's head, and blocking its haft with her left gauntlet. The right one shot towards ginger girl's face - but Nora managed to swat it aside with the handle of her weapon. Not wasting any time, she swung upwards. The blond brawler managed to backstep in time to avoid being hit - but was not prepared when Nora stopped her swing mid-way, and instead thrusted her weapon forward. The attack lacked the power to do any serious damage, but was enough to push Yang back.

Jaune nodded with approval.

_She so good at controlling her weapon, and far more composed than one would think._

Yang kept up her assault, apparently determined to stay inside Nora's guard, and pummel her with shotgun-enhanced punches. Nora on the other hand, did what she could to stay out of the brawler's punching range. Jaune's eyes narrowed. While this was not a bad strategy, Yang was taking too many hits. Granted, most of them were glancing blows, or strikes with the haft of the hammer, and thus didn't carry too much power, but it was an extremely risky tactic.

_Well I guess she doesn't have much of a choice, but still she takes too many hits. She could easily block most of them, without having to back away._

Jaune took a look at the Aura display. Nora's aura was barely above fifty, while her opponent was closer to sixty. Up until now Yang could score hits even if her fist was stopped by firing shotgun blast at hammer-wielder. On the other hand, Nora couldn't use her grenade launcher - not only did she not have time to switch her weapon form, but at such close range blast would hit them both.

But a few moments ago, a loud click announced that Yang was out of ammo. This, coupled with the fact that Nora was getting better at reading her attacks, meant the fight was not going well for the blond brawler. The Aura gap she had built at the beginning of the fight was closing. Not very fast, but it was clear Yang would run out first.

_Now, what will you do Yang? You may be dictating the tempo of fight, but you've lost the momentum._

Yang's answer was to increase her tempo even more. She almost completely abandoned defense, and charged in close. She managed to grab Nora's hammer by the shaft, and pin it to the ginger girl's body. Then she started to throw punch after punch.

Nora recovered quickly. Instead of trying to wrestle her weapon free - she switched it to grenade launcher form. This forced Yang to let it go - but also created an opening. So close it was impossible for Nora to fire her weapon without hurting herself, and Yang was all too happy to use this to her advantage, and not let her opponent revert her weapon to melee form.

A golden gauntlet flew towards the face of the ginger girl. It never reached its destination though, because the rest of Yang was propelled backward by pink explosion. Nora, apparently unconcerned by proximity, fired her weapon straight at her opponent's face. Yang flew a few meters and landed heavily. She got up almost instantly though and looked up at her opponent.

Nora was right in front of her, hammer already mid-swing.

To Yang's credit - she managed to put up her guard.

To Nora's credit - she didn't let it amount to much.

The first clean hit of her hammer sent Yang flying yet again. The blond brawler just barely managed to avoid being thrown out of the ring. Nora grinned and ran at the stunned girl. She jumped hgh, readying a powerful overhead attack to end the fight.

And then Yang exploded. Flames washed over the arena, surprising everyone - not least Nora. Her surprise grew even further when Yang grabbed her hammer just below the head with one hand, and pulled. Being airborne and completely out of control of her movement, Nora could do nothing to avoid Yang's fist slamming into her stomach. She hit the floor on the opposite side of arena, letting out a loud groan.

"Match is over! Miss Xiao Long wins."

Yang helped Nora get up. They exchanged few words and laughed.

Miss Goodwitch walked up to them and started to lecture.

"Miss Valkyrie, that was a good fight. Deciding to fight defensively was a good idea, keeping Miss Xiao Long at distance too. Unfortunately, it appears you are not used to opponents fighting at such close range, I would advise to work on that. For one, you should hold your weapon closer to its center of mass, this would allow for greater maneuverability. Also, you are taking needlessly large swings. Shorter attacks would be easier to control, and harder to react to."

"Lastly - after the last attack, when you managed to knock your opponent down, you should opt to have finished the fight from range. Closing in on melee, especially in the way you did, will only give your opponent chance to counterattack - like Miss Xiao Long did."

Nora laughed and nodded. Yang shot her a grin, and nudged her in the arm.

"Miss Xiao Long, while you won the match it was only thanks to Miss Valkyrie's mistake. While seeking to lock your opponent into very close range is generally a good idea for fist fighters, you took too many hits you could have avoided. While you managed to win thanks to a combination of your Semblance and your opponent's mistake, I would advise against such aggressive fighting in the future. This could lead you into trouble against an opponent that is much faster than you, or in drawn-out fights."

Yang just nodded.

Both girls walked out of the arena, talking the whole time. Jaune smiled, and patted Nora on the shoulder when she joined them.

"That was a good fight." He said.

She laughed nervously.

"Yeah, but I got a bit too excited."

"Happens. No one is perfect - and now you know a little better what you should and shouldn't do." Said Pyrrha with encouraging smile.

There were few more matches - some more interesting than others. When they were leaving classroom Jaune was lost in thought.

_Well, that was better than I expected. For a moment, I feared everyone here would be tournament fighters._

He shook his head.

_Nevermind. For now there are more pressing matters to attend to._

"Hey guys." He called out to his team.

"There is something I would like to discuss. Let's head to our room, ok?" They all nodded.

* * *

Jaune looked over his team, assembled in their room for their first 'team meeting.' He was standing near the door, while his teammates sat on beds.

"Ok guys, I wanted to talk about something. This will be extension of our conversation yesterday."

He took a moment to collect his thoughts and continued.

"Since we're stuck together for at least four years, I think it is in our best interest if we learn to work together efficiently. Now, I don't expect us to become a perfectly functioning unit day one, but the earlier we start working on it the better." All of his teammates nodded in agreement.

"So, I was thinking about doing some team-building exercises, spars, come up with some strategies for different situations, and so on. But before we can do any of this, we need to know a bit more about each other."

He looked each of his teammates in the eye, trying to gauge how they would react to what he was going to say next. He learned that some people found the topic he was about to bring up very...personal.

"So today, I would like for everyone here to say a few words about how they fight. What you think are your strongest points and what are your weakest. What experience in fighting you have, and what your Semblances are."

To his relief, his teammates didn't look uncomfortable or offended by his request.

_Damn, how nice it is to work with reasonable people._

"Ohhhhhh! Me first, me first!" Shouted Nora, raising her hand.

"Go on." Said Jaune with smile.

"So I like smashing things. Renny says I'm too reckless, and that I tend to not pay attention to my surroundings. At first I tended to hit him with Magnhild when swinging it around" She blushed a little. "He might have gotten caught up in some explosions too. But it's better now! Mostly because he learned to keep his distance…" she trailed off, looking lost in thought. Then perked up.

"Oh, and I can absorb electricity to make myself stronger."

"Absorb electricity… Does the source matter? How strong and how long of a boost you get?"

"Well, I think that as long as it's electricity I can absorb it. I constantly use my own bioelectricity to boost my strength - that's why I can wield Magnhild so easily. I've never really had much chance to try it out - but generally the stronger the current then the more power I get out of it. I can use it up all at once, or spread it over time."

Jaune nodded. That sounded useful. A bit situational - but if she had some electricity Dust on her all the time, it would be nice trump card.

"Does it hurt you when you absorb something strong?" Pyrrha asked.

"Nah, it just tingles. I got hit by lightning once - in fact that's how I discovered my Semblance."

Jaune just shook his head. Being hit by lighting to discover your Semblance? That was just so… Nora.

"Guess I'll go next." Said Ren.

"My weapons are Storm Flowers - two submachine guns with extended mags, modified to use high-impact Dust ammo, with blades attached to each - you all saw them during initiation. I'd say my biggest weakness is that they have limited range, and both forms don't have too much striking power. They are good at dealing with softer enemies, but I'll have trouble taking out something heavily armored - I tend to leave that to Nora. I'm good at hand-to-hand combat and aura manipulation." He paused for a moment to think, and made to continue, but was stopped by Nora.

"Yeah Renny is like a super Ninja! He can make Grimm explode with his bare hands!" She made an explosion noise with her mouth for emphasis.

Jaune raised eyebrow at that, and Ren just sighed.

"It is a technique I learned some time ago. You can insert a part of your Aura into Grimm. Since they are not supposed to have Aura, it tries to escape their bodies, expanding rapidly. If you insert enough, you can kill even larger ones like Ursa. It takes time however, and if you insert too little, it wont do any damage at all. So you have to either concentrate a lot in your hand and do it in single strike, or deliver several fast attacks, inserting a bit every time."

"Oh! I know what youre talking about. Saw a guy do it once with an Ursa major - it looked like he was pumping a balloon with air until it exploded," said Jaune. Ren just nodded.

"Yes, it's quite a useful skill for someone with lighter weapons like me. Anyway, my Semblance - I can make people undetectable for Grimm. But I have to remain motionless while doing so."

"Does it work at range? And is there limit to people you can mask? Also, you said 'undetectable', could you elaborate?"

Ren paused for a moment, apparently thinking over his answer.

"I can do it at distance," he said finally. "But I have to touch a solid surface with my hand, like earth, or a wall. And they have to be touching it too - with any part of their body. As soon as contact breaks, my Semblance will lose it effect. When I do it like that, the person I'm masking can move, but it's harder to keep up the further away they are. My max distance is around fifteen meters."

"I'm not sure if there is a limit to the number of people I can mask - the most I've ever done was three, including myself."

"As for your last question - well, I'm not sure exactly how it works, but the moment I activate my Semblance, it looks like Grimm lose ability to perceive the person I used it on. Even if said person is in plain sight, and under Grimm attack - it would just stand there for a moment, looking confused,and then move away."

Jaune whistled. That was a pretty damn good skill to have. This "remain motionless" part was a downer, but hey, you can't have everything.

_Well both Ren and Nora have more supportive Semblances. It shows in their fighting style - they are good with their weapons._

"So, I guess it's my turn now?" Said Pyrrha with shy smile.

He focused in on his partner talking about her weapons. Milo was three-form weapon: rifle, spear, and xiphos. Akouo was a simple round shield without any additional functions.

Jaune listened with one ear as Pyrrha described advantages and disadvantages of each form. He actually did some research on his partner. Knowing that she was a well-known celebrity and champion fighter, plus her display during initiation, and in Miss Goodwitch class, piqued his curiosity. So during launch, just before they came back to their room, he excused himself for a moment to look up an article about her, and watched some recordings of her fights. What he saw surprised him - but in hindsight shouldn't.

To put it simply - his partner was a monster. Not only talented, but also hard working, she started training at age of nine. She spared no effort, and it soon showed - the gap between her and her peers was growing by the day. Not only that, but she was apparently one of those "freak athlete" type of people - having unusually good control of her body, and thus able to perform maneuvers normal people could only dream of doing.

So when the four-time champion started talking about her 'weaknesses', all Jaune could do was smile politely and try to not burst out laughing. She looked desperate to convince everyone in the room that she had them - but all Jaune could hear was: "I never met anyone who's ass I couldn't kick with minimal effort, so I might be getting a little too confident."

_Now, I wonder what is her Semblance is. I don't think it's a strong offensive one, or even an active one at all. People with those kind of Semblances tend to rely on them a lot, like Weiss. Maybe she..."_

"As for my Semblance - its polarity," Said Pyrrha with a slight blush. It only deepened when everyone in the room stared at her in complete silence.

_Or, it can be something like that. Sure, why not - talented, hardworking, with Semblance that is basically a middle finger to like 99% of Hunters._

He shook his head. One thing that interested him when he was reading some article about his partner was that she apparently rarely used her Semblance in tournaments. Now he knew why - those things were organized for entertainment. People watched them to see a good fight.

They could watch one-sided masacre performed by a single girl only so many times before it got boring.

"So Fearless Leader, how about you?" Nora's voice brought him out of his thoughts. Jaune smiled.

"Well for starters my weapon - Crocea Mors. It my family heirloom - a sword and shield combo. The shield can be collapsed into sheath. It still weights the same, but at least is easier to carry. They are very durable - almost five hundreds years old, but not even a scratch on either. And I can assure you it's not because they were just gathering dust hanging above the fireplace. And that's it. They don't transform into anything. No guns, no nothing. Just two pieces of solid steel."

"I have lots of Aura, and Leon made sure I can put it to good use - so you won't see me being knocked out easily, unless it's something really ridiculous. As for my weaknesses - the biggest one is that I have very little options in terms of ranged combat. I'm good at throwing things - sometimes, if I knew I would be going up against something tougher, or just a large group, I would make some makeshift grenades, but that's it."

"Lastly, my Semblance - it's Aura strengthening. I can boost my Aura properties - like make it harder to block attacks, or speed up healing. I can use it to manipulate the effect of substances that get into my body - like neutralizing toxins, or enhancing the effects of medicines."

"That's it?" Asked Pyrrha, looking confused.

"Well, yeah. Unfortunately not everyone can have some cool, flashy, powerful Semblance."

"N-no I didn't mean it like that!" She said hastily, panic evident in her voice. Jaune winced.

_Damn, you already forgot what happened during initiation?_

"Calm down Pyrrha. I'm not angry or anything."

She hung her head and muttered something under her breath. Jaune was willing to bet all the Lien in his wallet it was an apology of some sort.

 _For a celebrity and badass fighter, she is timid as hell._ He recalled her fight in today's class.  _Well, at least outside of the arena._

"Ok, so what had you surprised Pyrrha?"

She perked up, blushed, and looked to the side.

"I-It's just that during initiation you could see Grimm and people from very far away. Even if there were trees in the way. How could you do that, if not thanks to your Semblance?"

"Yeah, Fearless Leader! You are not withholding information from us, right? Not after forcing all of us to tell everything about ourselves?"

"Nora, he didn't force us to do anything." Ren said with a sigh. Then he looked at Jaune with a small smirk.

"But I do agree that it sounds suspicious. If what Pyrrha is saying is true, the only way to accomplish such a thing that I can think of would be a Semblance. Maybe if you were a Faunus." Ren contemplated him for a moment. "I don't think you are one though. Do you?"

Jaune just hummed.

_Well… I guess there is no real reason for me to not tell them. It's not like my elixirs are illegal or something._

"Ok, I'll tell you guys. Or rather show." He said, walking to his bed. He rummaged under it for a moment then stood up with a big wooden box. He pressed two buttons on each side, and it unfolded, showing several rows of small bottles in four colors - green, orange, red and black.

"These," he said with proud smile. "Are my Elixirs."

"Elixirs?"

"Yeah." Jaune rubbed back of his head, a bit embarrassed. "Leon took to calling them that, so I kinda started to use the name too. It's sure easier to say than what I called them at first."

"What did you call them?" Asked Nora, excitement evident on her face. "Why do the bottles have different colors and shapes? And what do the do?"

"Easy Nora, one question at the time." Said Jaune smiling.

"So, I called them Dust Enhanced Aura Boosters. Don't laugh, I was fourteen then!" He added when his team snickered. "Anyway, that basically tells you what they are - a mix of herbs and Dust that works to either boost some aspects of Aura, like healing, or that can grant you some additional benefits, like enhanced senses."

"There are few different… well I guess you can call them 'Tiers', depending on strength of the effects. That's what colors are for - green are simple herbal medicines - painkillers, stomach ache medicine, water treatment agents, stuff like that. There is none, or very little Dust in them. Anyone can use them safely, even civilians with no Aura."

"Orange are simplest Elixirs. Civilians can still take them, but there is a risk of complications, and the effects will be much weaker than if Hunter uses them. This is a category I use the most since they have little to no drawbacks. There are a few in this category, the one I use the most is the Healing enhancer. It boost the natural regeneration factor Aura gives to the user. I can make stronger versions of Orange Elixirs, but it's usually not worth the effort - the increase in effectiveness is not worth the stronger side-effects."

"The Red ones are a bit more tricky. Most of them come with some drawback - the most common is a killer migrene. I can manipulate their effectiveness by using my Semblance. Also, If anyone other than me uses them, they usually get very serious side effects. Not sure why - Leon thinks it's either because I have a lot of Aura, or because of my Semblance mitigating the negative effects."

"What kind of side-effects we are talking about?" Asked Ren.

"Disorientation, inhibited motor functions, temporary loss of sight, hearing or smell, hallucinations, loss of consciousness, temporary loss of short-term memory…" he started counting off. Pyrrha looked shocked, Nora uncertain, and Ren contemplative.

_Hmm, interesting. Most people freak out when they hear this._

"Ok then what about the black ones?" His partner asked. Jaune smiled

"They are extremely potent - and dangerous. Most of the Black ones I make on a need-to basis, since they usually are unstable and very situational. And the side effects are quite serious - even for me. That's why I use them only when I absolutely have to."

"So what happens if someone other than you will drink one?" Asked Nora

Jaune considered his answer for a moment. Then decided there was no way to say it delicately, so he went with blunt truth.

"They will suffer heavy damage to their nervous system and be paralyzed, reduced to a vegetable-like state, or die on the spot."

There were a few seconds of silence.

"How do you…" Pyrrha started hesitantly.

"Bandits. I was experimenting with my elixirs, and passed out after drinking one. When I woke up I was tied and in a cage in some small camp. There were other kids there too. The bandits found my Elixirs, and thought it was booze. None of them survived."

There were a few more moments of silence. Nora was the one to break it.

"So why do they have different shapes?" She asked pointing at the bottles.

"So I can easily identify them in the dark." Answered Jaune, more than happy to change the subject.

"I also marked several bottles for elixirs that I use often, so if I have few of the same tier, I know which one is which."

"Ok, which one lets you see other people and Grimm through trees?" Asked Pyrrha.

"These two." He answered pulling out two bottles -one orange, and one red.

"The Orange is a Perception enhancer. It boost my sense of smell, hearing, touch - but not by much... It also makes it easier to react to quickly. It's not very dangerous, even for other people. Hell, once a civilian drank it and was fine. The only reason it's in the Orange category is because it can easily overwhelm you. I usually use my Semblance to cut off some of its effects and boost only what I need."

"The Red one I call Dawn. It's similar to the Perception enhancer - it boost my senses. It's much stronger though, and unlike PE it boost all of them - even my sense of balance. And when I combine these two - I can see the Aura of others."

There were a few seconds of stunned silence.

"That.. is interesting. I never heard of anyone who could perceive Aura. How does it work?" Asked Ren.

"I see lights. It all depends on how much Aura there is. But things like trees, and bugs usually just glow softly. Animals, and people with unawakened Aura give off a more intense light. When their Aura is awakened, It makes a sort of outline over the person's body."

"Then how can you see Grimm? They don't have Aura, right?" Pyrrha asked with hint of worry in her voice.

"No of course not. I can't see Grimm, but I can see spots where they dim the light of Aura in their surroundings." Jaune mused for a moment, then continued. "Think about it like this - if you were to look at the night sky, and something big flew over you, you wouldn't be able to see it, but could track it by observing where stars were covered."

They all nodded in understanding. Jaune looked over them and smiled.

"So any more questions?"

This time Ren was the first to speak.

"Why do you have to combine two Elixirs to get Aura vision? Haven't you tried to make a single one that would allow this?"

"I actually did. It's called Dusk. And before you ask - I don't use it often because its Black." Ren just nodded. Immediately Nora raised her hand and started waving it around in the air.

"Me next!" When Jaune nodded, she continued. "What other effects do they have? You mentioned only a few and you have lots of bottles here."

"Well most of them aren't Elixirs. I make… I guess you could call them "bases". It's easier to carry it around since they can be stored for a very long time - around six months. Most elixirs tend to lose their effects after three to four weeks, with some of the more complicated ones lasting only day or two. Sometime even less. But my most used ones are Healing, Perception, and Heart enhancers."

Seeing as Nora opened her mouth to say something, he continued.

"It allows me to regulate my heartbeat. Either slow it down, or accelerate."

"Isn't that dangerous?" His partner asked.

He shrugged. "Not really. There is a limit to how much I can change it, and I have to do it with my Semblance. So if I go too far either way, and start losing consciousness, the effect will simply stop and my heart rate will go back to normal. I use it mostly when I want to speed up the activation of other Elixirs."

"Wait!" A sudden shout from Nora caused everyone to look at her. She was half-pouting, half smiling and pointing a finger at her leader accusingly.

"What about your other sword?"

Jaune opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"Don't think I didn't notice - you had two swords at Initiation. You never used the other one, even when we fought that Deathstalker! What it is? Some super-secret-hidden weapon? Your trump card? Why didn't you use it? Is it too powerful? Does it devour your soul when used? Oh, I know! It…"

"Nora."

"Yes, Renny?"

"Let him speak." The ginger girl laughed nervously and sat on her bed, waiting patiently for Jaune to speak. Well, patiently for Nora - she was bouncing up and down, making annoyed noises.

"I'm sorry about her. Nora's got a...vivid imagination, and she often says whatever is on her mind."

Jaune just nodded.

"Ok so my other sword is named Eclipse - and it's a longsword. I didn't used it because… well it wouldn't have been suited to the situation. We had two heavy hitters already, and I decided it would be better to help Pyrrha keep that thing at bay."

Nora nodded, apparently satisfied with his explanation.

"Ok guys, I think that's enough talk for today." Said Jaune, standing up and checking his scroll.

"We have about four hours until curfew. How about we go to the library, do some studying, and then hit the gym for a few spars?"

His proposition was met with approval. Though he had a suspicion that Nora tuned out the "studying" part and focused solely on the "sparing."

 _Oh well, not that it matters much._ He thought, marching towards the library, his team in tow.

_Today was good day. Nothing tried to kill me, nothing crazy happened._

Jaune smiled. Yes, today was looking good so far. He could already feel excitement building up at the prospect of fights. He caught glimpse of his teammates fighting skills during initiation - but that was not enough. He couldn't wait to be able to test himself against them.

* * *

**And that wraps up ch 7. In this chapter I want to showcase some of differences in education between someone learning in school, and someone learning by practice. Jaune knows a lot about Grimm and hunting them - more so than average person his age. However, he knows little about topics not related to his profession - like pop culture or history.**

**Here is this week omake - Jaunes first meeting with Weiss. Written by me this time (can't have JJD do all the work…).**

* * *

**Meeting the Ice Princess.**

"I do not agree to this!" Cried Weiss Schnee.

"You have no choice in this matter,  _dear_. The White Fang outright stated they aim to attack you at your next concert, and it would be irresponsible for me, as your father, to not take every precaution I can. That's why I'm hiring him to be your personal bodyguard." Jacques Schnee said, pointing to the man standing next to him.

Boy rather - he couldn't be any older than her - just nodded for his part, with light smile on his lips. She scoffed.

_How could he protect me any better than I can protect myself?_

She focused on him. He was taller than she was, with mop of messy blond hair. He didn't look too well built - scraggy, more than lean. He wore a simple breastplate over a black hoodie, and a pair of blue jeans - that obviously had seen better days. He wasn't armed - but that was probably because his weapon was confiscated when he entered Schnee mansion.

Overall, her supposed bodyguard didn't look too impressive.

And there was one other problem.

"I understand Father. But why do you insist on hiring," she paused, looking for right word. "... _him_? I can protect myself, and even ignoring that - I'm sure there are more… qualified people available."

When she learned her father was hiring a personal bodyguard for her, she made sure to learn as much as she could about him. What she found was rather… underwhelming. Jaune Arc was born in some backwater town in Vale. His father was a Hunter, and fairly successful one. Whatever skills he had apparently didn't pass on his son, since Jaune was rejected from the local Combat prep school. Then most records of him stopped.

"There are, and they are hired to protect you, and everyone else during your concert. Jaune is being hired specifically to stay close to you. I'm hiring him because he both comes recommended from a trusted source, and has proven himself as capable fighter."

She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"That is enough Weiss. Jaune will be hired, and you will do nothing to hinder his job. Am I clear?"

She hung her head, and nodded.

"I didn't hear your answer."

"... Yes, Father."

"Very well. You can leave now."

"Sir, if I may?" A new voice sounded.

Weiss looked up surprised. Jaune spoke up for the first time. He was looking her father straight in the eyes, not even flinching under older man's gaze. He still wore the same small smile.

Weiss had to admit to being slightly impressed. Not many people could hold her father's gaze.

"I believe Miss Schnee has the right to voice her concerns. After all it's her health, or life, on the line."

Jacques brows furrowed - he really didn't like when people questioning his decisions. Jaune either didn't noticed, or didn't care.

"What are you suggesting?" Her father asked.

"That I be allowed chance to prove myself to your daughter, sir. That way we can avoid any potential… complications in the future."

Jacques looked at him for a few moments, lost in thoughts. Then he focused back at her.

Weiss took another sip of her tea, and did her best to not flinch.

"How do you intend to do that?"

Jaune's expression didn't change. He still looked calm, and wore this small smile that she definitely didn't like.

"With your permission sir, I would like to use the same method my teacher used to convince Mr. and Miss. Linsing."

Her father looked surprised for a moment, then took on a contemplative expression. After few moments he nodded.

"Very well. I shall allow this."

Jaune nodded and looked at her. Weiss met his gaze. She decided his smile was not only thing she didn't like. His eyes - although a rather nice shade of blue - were… strange. There was no distaste, or calculating pragmatizm in them - something she got used to seeing a lot. They appeared to be… disinterested. Like he didn't really care about her - or anything else.

"Miss Schnee." He addressed her.

She nodded in acknowledgement.

"I understand your concerns. And would like to propose a way to alleviate them. But first I would like to confirm something. You have your Aura unlocked, and are trained in combat, am I correct?"

"Yes." She said with huff.

"Very well. In that case I would like to propose a little game. Right now, I will pretend to be an assailant and attack you. If I can incapacitate you, or signal what could be a mortal wound, you lose and won't oppose to me being you bodyguard. You will also follow my instructions in case we come under attack. If you manage to hold me off for five minutes, or incapacitate me, you win and I'll either resign from being your bodyguard, or you will be able to order me around in case you decide to hire me anyway. How does that sound?"

Weiss stared at boy in front of her for a few seconds, dumbfounded. The she looked at her father, just to make sure he really approved of this. He nodded, and Weiss looked back at Jaune.

"That sounds… acceptable. I'll have someone bring you your weapon, and we can meet in one of training rooms in the mansion." She said finishing her tea - but a single cough from Jaune drew her attention back to him.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I didn't make myself clear. When I said 'right now' I meant 'as soon as you agree'. We will do it in this room, as we are now."

Weiss couldn't help to stare. Then she looked back to her father to confirm again he is ok with this. Yet again she received a confirming nod.

Then she looked back to Jaune. He was still looking at her with a small smile and an indifferent look in his eyes.

She scoffed.

_Is he seriously thinking he can win against me without any weapon? He even knows I have my Aura unlocked and I was trained!_

She shook her head. This Jaune had to be either extremely arrogant, or an idiot - possibly both. She was trained from an early age by the best teachers money could buy - he failed to get into a simple public Combat school. And he suggested he could win against her without even using a weapon? Preposterous.

 _Well, I guess I'll have to teach him a lesson._ She thought.

"Very well." She said a loud. "Le…" she never managed to finish.

The table she was sitting at was kicked forward and slammed into her. Before she could even think about what to do, it was kicked again - this time with much more force. It knocked the air out of her lungs and pinned both her hands and body to the chair she was sitting at, preventing her from drawing her weapon. Panic started to settle in as she tried to free herself. Finally, she managed to push away from table and reach for her rapier. She didn't managed to draw it though - she was lifted, and then slammed onto the table.

She tried to struggle, but Jaune was strong - far stronger than his scraggy frame suggested. He pinned her left hand with his knee, and held her right one in vice-like grip. All she could do was gasp when she noticed a glint of something metal in his right hand. It rose and fell towards her face.

She let out a quiet whimper, and closed her eyes, awaiting agony. It didn't come. The pressure on her hand disappeared and she let out a breath of relief.

Weiss slowly opened her eyes, and looked at the boy now standing a few steps away from her. Something about him had changed. His eyes were no longer distant and disinterested, now they were warm and looked at her with… was it sympathy? Understanding? She wasn't sure.

He was still smiling - but it had changed too. It was no longer plastic, and looked much more natural.

"I know you are strong." He said. "But even the strongest Hunters can't do everything alone. They need someone to cover for them, to watch their back. That's why they usually work in teams - so they can have people they can really on."

He paused for a moment, and looked above her, to the window.

"I know you are strong." He repeated. "But you can't be on your guard all the time. Well, you can - but not if you want to live normally. It would break you, sooner or latter. And those guy, the ones that would come and try to take your life away - they do not play by the rules. They won't give you time to prepare, they won't wait till you draw your weapon. They will not care how many others die, as long as they can get what they want."

There was something in the tone of his voice that made Weiss wonder if he was speaking from personal experience.

He looked back at her.

"You want to be a Huntress, right?"

The sudden question surprised her. After a moment of hesitation she nodded.

"Great. Then how about this - don't think of me as your bodyguard, but as your partner. I heard that when you go to a Hunter Academy you have to work in four man teams - you can think of this as practice."

She shook her head. It was ridiculous idea - but in some strange way it made sense. Plus she lost - and thus had to accept him anyway.

"Well , I guess that is acceptable." She said.

"Great. So let's start from beginning, shall we?" He cleared his throat and smiled at her - and this time it was a big, goofy one. "I'm Jaune Arc, and I will be your partner for now. I look forward to working with you." He said extending his hand towards her.

She snorted and took it.

"I'm Weiss Schnee. I look forward to working with you too."

_Jaune Arc, huh? Maybe he is not so bad afterall._

* * *

**Now, I want to clarify something. I do not imply Jaune is a better fighter than Weiss. The reason he was able to "win" was not because he was more skilled, but because he was more vicious. This omake happened between Jaune's visit in the village and the meeting from 'Thank you' omake - so roughy one year and two months before the start of story.**

**At this point Weiss is less skilled than in show, and much less used to violence than Jaune is. So he was able to take her by surprise, and shocked her to the point she didn't knew what to do. I guess simplest way to put it is that he didn't tried to fight her - he tried to kill her. And Weiss was not prepared for this.**

**And if you wonder why her father allowed this - it's because he is ass, and don't mind seeing his daughter beaten up, just because she dared to oppose him.**


	9. Pecking Order

**Chere we go, ch 8 of TPA. Edited like always by JJD.**

* * *

**CH 8**

Jaune ducked under the swipe and pushed forward. His shield slammed into his opponent and he made sure to stick as close as possible. Fighting at such a short range was far from optimal for him - but it was even worse for his opponent. He stabbed and slashed, attacking with his shield as much as with his sword.

Nora backed off, but Jaune kept close, not slowing down his assault. None of his attacks were doing much damage, but they did chip away at her Aura little by little.

_I'll win if this continues like this. She knows it too - and that means she'll make her move soon._

Jaune knew he couldn't afford to slow down his assault - he had to keep Nora on edge, don't give her chance to create distance - it was hell to get so close, mainly because his ginger teammate took 's advice to heart and decided to keep him at distance with a rain of grenades.

But he also knew just rushing blindly could, and probably would, end badly. That's why he stopped attacking with his shield, choosing instead to hold it close, ready to defend against any surprise his opponent would no doubt throw at him.

This paid off, when he noticed Nora's hand move down the haft of the hammer - to the place where he knew the trigger was. The impact he felt on his shield surprised him - and not because it was so strong. Quite the opposite - it was much weaker than what he expected.

Before he could even start wondering on the reason why, Nora provided the answer for him - by slamming the head of her hammer into his unprotected site.

_Well, fuck._

Was what he thought moments before he slammed into the wall of training room. He slid down, and let out a loud groan.

A quick roll to the side allowed him to avoid a direct hit from Nora's grenade - but not the explosion. Thankfully, he managed to cover behind his shield, and used the momentum to roll even further away, where he pushed up to his feet. Then he started running in circles, trying to avoid as many of the explosions as he could. Nora on the other hand, was all too happy to rain pink destruction on her team leader, laughing maniacally the whole time.

_Ok, keep calm. Don't try to rush in, wait for her to run out of ammo. Then close the distance._

He took peek over his shield to where his opponent stood.

_But not too much. I don't think I will be able to reach her before she reloads, and if I get too close it will be harder to dodge._

He did just that, continuing to run in circles even when Nora stopped to reload. With each circle he came a little closer, until he was sure he got close enough to reach her the next time she ran out of ammo.

He paused for a moment to catch his breath, but was forced to jump to the side when Nora renewed her assault. Jaune ducked under the first grenade, rolled out of the way of the second. The third one exploded a few meters before him, the fourth very close behind, staggering him for a moment. Not wasting a second, he dropped to one knee and put up his shield - just in time to intercept the fifth. The explosion shook him, but he held his ground.

_Ok, one more and she is out. Just hold it._

He tried to get up, but the sound of a weapon being fired prompted him to take cover behind his shield again. He clenched his teeth awaiting another explosion.

What hit him instead was the head of Nora's hammer. He again became closely acquainted with the wall of the training room. He tried to get up, but was driven to the ground again when her hammer hit his hastily risen shield.

He tried to roll to the side, but Nora didn't let him. He kicked out, hitting her in the shin. It was too weak to deal any real damage, but it staggered her for just a moment. It was all he needed to roll out and get to his feet.

Nora charged, and he did the same. Her hammer wooshed just above his head, and he went inside her guard. His pommel hit her head, while the handle of her hammer grazed his side. Jaune pushed his shield against his opponent's weapon, pinning it to her body. Then, taking advantage of his superior mass and strength he pushed.

Nora tried to stop him, but soon enough, it was her turn to slam into a hard wall. Now pinned, with no chance to escape, she could do little else than to try and defend against Jaune's assault.

Or that was what he thought. Instead, she started kicking into his knee. He staggered a little, but held out. Since they were too close for him to make decent swing of his blade, he punched her in the face.

She kicked him again, and this time his leg buckled under him a bit.

Jaune put his sword to her side, and started pushing.

Nora headbutted him.

He staggered, just enough for her to slip out.

Nora took a wide swing, and Jaune rushed in, determined to stop it before it can build any momentum. However, instead of swinging, his teammate's trust her weapon forward, slamming the butt end of the handle into his chest. The blow staggered him, but not enough to push him back. He raised his sword to retaliate.

"Stop! The match is over, Nora wins."

Jaune paused and looked to his partner. Pyrrha smiled shyly, and looked to the side. He could almost hear her saying "I'm sorry".

 _She really apologizes too much._ He thought, looking over to the Aura display on one of the walls.

Nora was around forty percent, while his dropped barely below thiry.

"That was a good match Jaune." He turned around to see his partner standing behind him, an encouraging smile on her lips.

"Yeah, but I underestimated Nora. I knew she can be tricky after watching her fight against Yang, but she still got me."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you will do better next time."

He smiled and nodded.

"Well, I guess I better clear the arena for you and Ren. Try to not stomp him too hard."

She blushed and mumbled something quietly.

Jaune joined Nora on the bench outside of arena, and accepted an offered drink, while Ren and Pyrrha got ready for their fight.

This little sparring session was something he came up as another team-building exercise. The plan was to let every member of team JNPR fight against each other in one-on-one matches, and then watch and analyze the recordings of their fights.

In the arena, both Ren and Pyrrha synced they scrolls to the big display screen. Moments later the countdown started. When it reached zero, both combatants moved.

Pyrrha threw her shield at Ren, who dodged and started backing off, firing Storm Flowers. The red haired champion rolled to the side, caught her shield, and started chasing her opponent.

So far Pyrrha had remained undefeated, and he somehow doubted Ren would be the one to break her winning streak. He was doing well however - keeping her at distance, shooting whenever he could, and dogging the occasional attack.

When Pyrrha managed to close into melee range, he only ever exchanged a few blows, and retreating as soon as he could. But he couldn't keep it up forever - he would run out of ammo eventually, and Pyrrha wouldn't give him time to reload. It happened soon enough, when two loud clicks announced that Storm Flowers ran dry.

Pyrrha paused, then smirked and switched her weapon into sword form.

Ren sighed, shrugged, and dashed at her.

They met in flurry of attacks, exchanging blows so fast it was hard to see what was happening. Ren managed to land a few good hits, but it was not enough. After landing a kick to his opponent's stomach, he managed to create some distance. Without wasting a second, he jumped back even further, hoping to get enough time to reload Strom Flowers.

Akouo hit his forehead, staggering him for a moment. Pyrrha followed soon after, shifting Milo into spear form and striking him square in the chest. She then spun, using the haft of her weapon to sweep Ren's legs from under him. He hit the floor hard, let out a loud groan, and looked up - straight into Milo's barrel.

The bullet hit his forehead at the same time Akouo landed into Pyrrha's outstretched hand.

 _Show-off._ Thought Jaune, watching as his partner helped Ren get up. She then started saying something quickly.

_Probably apologizing. Again._

He shook his head. That was his partner in nutshell - polite to a fault, just wanting to fit in on a normal day, and turning into a vicious fighter whenever she held her weapons.

Both combatants made their way to rest of their team. Jaune tossed a bottle of energy drink to each.

"Ok guys, the first official sparring session of Team JNPR is over. Winner - to no one's surprise - Pyrrha Nikos. A round of applause for our champion." Pyrrha looked to the side and laughed nervously when they clapped. Jaune's eyes narrowed.

_So even congratulating a victory makes her nervous? Now this won't do. Guess I'll have to fix it somehow sooner rather than later._

"Ok, that's enough. I'll go grab the recordings of our fights, you guys can head to the display room. We will watch them there."

Every training room had a smaller one attached with a comfortable couch, table, and a big screen. It was meant to let students watch recordings of their spars - or the spars of other teams. Jaune was determined to take full advantage of such an opportunity.

He synced his scroll to the small console, and after a moment, the screen flicked to life, showing a selection menu with six positions on it.

"Ok guys, I propose we do it like this, we will watch all the fights of a single person, and discuss each one - what was done right, what was wrong, and what to improve. After that, we will pick the next person, and do the same, skipping over the fights we already watched. Since I'm team leader, how about we go with mine first?"

After his team nodded their approval, Jaune selected the first position on the menu.

Moments later, the record of his and Ren's spar started playing. It was by far the longest fight - after a few initial exchanges in melee, Ren started to circle around Jaune, shooting at him as he moved. Unlike Pyrrha, Jaune was not fast enough to pressure Ren, so all he could do was to defend. On the other hand, Storm Flower didn't have enough power to really damage the heavily armored teen.

Eventually, seeing that shooting him wasn't working, Ren decided to re-engage in melee. He opted for a hit-and-run tactic, closing in, striking a few times, and then retreating. This proved more effective - each time he managed to score a few hits chipped away at Jaune's Aura little by little. But at the same time, he put himself at risk too - and while not as often, his opponent managed to land a few good hits too.

In the end, what decided the outcome was stamina. Ren, who was moving far more than Jaune, started to slow down. At first he could land seven hits while his team leader retaliated with only one - that usually missed. Then this number dropped to five for one, then five for two, and finally three for two. Eventually, Ren stumbled after Jaune's counter - a shield bash to the face - catching him before he could retreat. He fell, and didn't get a chance to get back up.

"So, any comments?" Asked Jaune when the video finished.

"I probably shouldn't have taken that initial exchange. You were able to take out quite a bit of my Aura, and I had to do something to even that out." Said Ren.

"I agree." Pyrrha added, nodding. "You also should stop circling Jaune ealier. It was clear your weapons do not have enough firepower to take him out. You were just tiring yourself out. That hit-and-run tactic you used at the end was good idea. Had you used it from the beginning you might have won."

Ren nodded and smiled.

"To be fair, I was hoping that all that armor would make Jaune tire out faster. I guess I miscalculated."

The blond team leader laughed.

"Yeah, that's common misconception. Many people think that if someone wears armor, especially bulkier variants, they will tire out fast. But it's not true - properly made suit of armor will have its weight spread evenly over whole body. Sure, you wont run fast in it, but it is not nearly as tiresome as it might look. Plus training with it increase your stamina - so it's not that easy to tire out us 'heavy' folks."

Jaune looked over his team.

"Any more comments?" There were none, so he played the next video.

His fight against Pyrrha was much more dynamic. She adopted similar tactic to what Ren did at the end of they fight - however, thanks to longer range of her spear it was more effective. Not only she could attack her partner from out of his range, she didn't had to move as much. Jaune was on defensive for most of the fight, tough he managed to get initiative after one successful counter knocked red haired Huntress out of balance. Unfortunately for him, Pyrrha was not afraid to take him head-on - and quickly proved to be the superior fighter. A few moments later, the fight was over. After fainting a strike to head, Pyrrha's spear caught him in stomach. She spun around him, wrapped Milo under his chin, and threw him over. Then, while he was still mid air, finished it off with perfectly executed 560 kick.

"Well." Said Jaune when video ended "I think I had best finish out of all of us." This comment earned him few chuckles.

"So any comments? Advice?" He asked.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. It doesn't seem to me like you made any real mistakes here - it's just that Pyrrha is a much better fighter. No offense." Said Ren nodding towards him.

"None taken." Jaune nodded back.

"If I really had to say something, it would be to get some ranged weapon. You said you are bad with guns, but just shooting at an enemy can distract them."

Jaune nodded.

"Well I pass on guns. I'm REALLY bad with them. But I'll try to figure out how to get some range. Anyone else want to add something? Pyrrha?"

His partner looked lost in thought ever since video ended. Now she perked up when called out, and looked at him for a few seconds before speaking.

"Could you please play your fight against Nora first? I would like to see it again before giving my opinion."

Jaune shrugged and did so.

Pyrrha was watching it intensely, nodding to herself from time to time.

After video ended she was thinking about something for few moments. Then she looked up at her partner and spoke.

"Jaune, correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't have much experience in fighting other trained Aura users? At least not ones on similar level to you?"

He considered this for a moment then nodded.

"Yeah. I mostly sparred with Leon, sometimes against other Hunters. There were bandits too, but most of them don't have Aura, and even if they do, they were poorly trained, and had simple weapons. As for people on a similar level…" he trailed off, thinking.

"Well Leon organized a few fights for me. Usually when we hit bigger city, with its own combat school. He would talk the teachers into letting me spar with a few of the students. But those were few and far between, we spent most our time in Wilds."

Pyrrha nodded.

"It shows in your fighting style. I wouldn't really call it a mistake, rather a bad habit, but you are too defensive. This makes you lose opportunities, or take too many hits. It often looks like you are.." she trailed off, hesitated for a moment, then continued "...too afraid to take hit on Aura. I assume it's because you are used to fighting against opponents that are stronger than you, or drawn-out skirmishes, rather than one-on-one fights?"

Jaune considered her words for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Yeah, you're right."

"I think this is the problem. Fighting other people is usually more… I guess you can say dynamic, than fighting Grimm. Sometimes you have to just rush in and attack, even if it means taking a few hits, because staying on the defensive will just drain you. It's what happened in your fight against Nora - after she knocked you away, you should have just rushed straight at her when she started reloading. You probably wouldn't make it to her before she finished, but you could take a few hits, and with your shield they wouldn't even take that much of your Aura."

She paused for a moment, then continued.

"Even before that…"she trial doff aging" Could you please play the very beginning of your fight again?"

Once the video started, she continued.

"You managed to close distance well with her by rushing in. Then, after you get inside Nora's guard - by the way that was a very nice counter here - you started attacking very aggressively. You even used your shield to strike her - a good move, most people do not expect to be hit by shield, or how much that hurts. But then you suddenly slowed down. I assume you expected Nora to try to pull something off, and wanted to be ready to defend against it?"

She waited for him to nod, then continued.

"And that was a mistake. You were faster than her, and at such close distance, under such an intense attack, she couldn't do anything. Her defense would slip eventually if you kept this up. The only reason she was able to counterattack was because you slowed down your assault. There is even a moment, just before she hit you, when you stopped attacking, and put your other hand on the shield. I assume this was in preparation to stop her next attack?"

He nodded again.

"Another mistake. If you pushed on, you could have stopped it easily."

"To be honest, I wasn't sure if I could do it in time. Nora hits hard, so I decided it would be better to block the attack, instead risking it hitting me…" he trailed off, then snorted.

"Well I guess you have a point. Though Leon was always telling me you can be never too careful when your life's on the line."

"Well, 'careful' doesn't have to mean 'defensive', just as 'aggressive' and 'reckless' are not the same." Pyrrha said with a smile.

He nodded and played the next video - Ren vs Nora.

The green ninja easily dodged initial barrage from Nora, and forced her into melee. But he didn't look for an extended fight - after exchanging just a few attack he jumped away, and started withling his opponent's Aura with constant fire from Storm Flowers. He stayed just out her melee range for most time, only closing in when it looked like she wanted to switch Magnhild into ranged mode. Nora, having nothing to defend herself against the constant fire, tried desperately to close distance and lock her partner in melee, but he proved too slippery. It ended in a decisive victory for Ren - he only lost slightly more than ten percent of his Aura.

"I don't think there is much to say here." Said Pyrrha, nodding. Somewhere down the line, they all agreed that instead having every person speak, they will just leave the analysis of the fights to the resident champion.

"It was just a typical case of a bad match up. Ren had a clear advantage, and used it well. Really, the only way for Nora to win there would be if Ren made some serious mistake."

There were few hums of agreement, and Jaune played the last two videos - Pyrrha's fights against Ren and Nora.

The last one was the shortest one from all today's spars. The red haired champion closed distance immediately, and locked her opponent into a fierce melee. It didn't last long - the tempo Pyrrha enforced was just too much for Nora, and before long, her form was broken. A few moments later, the hammer wielder slammed into the wall, after being hit by a roundhouse kick.

"Well, what advice could we offer our champion?" Mock-asked Jaune, stroking his chin in an exaggerated manner.

"Maybe she should change her armor polish? I noticed some stains on her greaves before she kicked me out." Said Nora, nodding to herself, a serious expression on her face.

Pyrrha blushed and laughed nervously.

"To pay more attention to weapon maintenance?" Offered Ren. "I'm sure I saw small dent on Akouo before it slammed into my face."

The red haired champion blushed even further.

Jaune nodded few times, then spoke.

"Well, good points guys. I'll add only one thing - you should probably come up with more finishers that do  _not_  involve kicking people. It's enough that you do it figuratively, no need to do it literally too."

After a few moments of silence they laughed. To Jaune's pleasant surprise - Pyrrha joined them.

_Well, looks like she relaxed a bt. Surprising what a little teasing can achieve._

"Ok, but seriously. You are amazing Pyrrha, and if there is one thing I think you should work on, it's to stop feeling so bad about it. I won't pretend to know why you so uncomfortable with people bringing up your fame - but I can guess. And let me tell you this - I never cared much about other people's image. I always made my own opinion, and you are a person I definitely would like to be friends with."

She blinked a few times then laughed nervously.

"It's that obvious?"

"Yes." Said Ren "Even were it not for your reaction when Nora brought up your fame yesterday, it's enough to see how you act around people. You always hunch over, as if trying to not be seen. You always move quickly from place to place, without looking at anyone, as if to not draw attention. "

He paused for a moment and smirked,

"If I didn't knew any better I would think you are being bullied. Though I pity any fool who would try it."

"Yeah! We would break his legs!" Exclaimed Nora happily.

Pyrrha looked over them, and for a moment Jaune though she would burst into tears, but she just smiled and nodded.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me."

 _There it is. She really looks much better when she smiles like that._ Thought Jaune.

"No problem." He said aloud, nodding towards her.

"Ok guys, we are out of time. Let's pack up, go grab something to eat, and head back to our room."

* * *

"So, what's next Fearless Leader? You said this would be the first step?" Asked Nora as soon as they left the training room. She ran off before him, and now was staring at him curiously, walking backwards.

"Well, now we have to come up with a training regimen, to fix our weaknesses. And start team practice. Develop some formations, team strategies, and get used to each other's fighting styles. But I think we should start it next week. For now, let's focus on getting used to school." Jaune answered.

Ren opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by four loudly speaking people who just left one of training rooms.

Well, three loudly talking people, and one quiet, busy with her book. Team RWBY apparently had a similar idea about a day one spar.

"Hey guys. Come here to set up a pecking order?" Jaune called out

Yang turned around, and seeing him, smiled widely.

"Well of course. Can't have anarchy in the team, right?" She said with a grin.

"Well, I may be wrong, but I think I recall Headmaster appointing team leaders at the initiation." He answered.

Yang just shrugged.

"Who cares about official admissions. Gotta set up hierarchy ourselves."

"So how did it go?"

"Pretty evenly, I'd say." Said Weiss. "Yang won against me and Ruby. Blake beat Yang, Ruby won against me, and I won against Blake."

"What about Ruby vs Blake?" Asked Ren

"It was draw." The quiet girl answered form over her book.

"Yeh, we fought super fast, and we were so close to red, and then we both shot at the same time and hit each other. It was so cool!" The young red reaper exclaimed happily, bouncing on her feet. Then she paused and looked up at Jaune expectantly. "So, how about you guys?"

"Well I beat Ren, he beat Nora, and she beat me."

"What about Pyrrha?"

"What do you think?"

"I hope she didn't beat you too hard? It's bad for authority when the leader is beaten up in front of his underlings." Said Blake with smirk.

"Nah. She beat the other two even harder. Plus, I had best finish, so there is that."

"Isn't your pride hurt? I mean such an experienced Hunter, fresh from the Wilds, and team leader at that, beaten by some tournament fighter? How are you going to live with such shame?" The blond brawler teased.

"Well, first of all, if she is tournament fighter it's obvious she has more experience fighting people. I'm used to dealing with monsters. Second, as team leader I'm supposed to be brains, not muscle. Pyrrha can be my right-hand ma.. woman."

"Forcing a lady to do heavy lifting for you? Not very gentleman-like." Weiss said with a raised eyebrow.

Jaune looked at her with a slight smile.

"Weiss, please. You know me well enough to know I'm a dedicated advocate of true gender equality." He answered shaking his head.

Weiss looked like she wanted to say something, but was interrupted by her partner.

"So.. we were planning to go to the cafeteria, and grab something to eat. You guys want to tag along?

"Heh, we were planning the same. Guess great minds think alike." Ruby smiled happily at the comment from her fellow team leader. Jaune turned to his team and said, doing his best imitation of military officer.

"Ok, team, listen up. We will help our friends from team RWBY in the assault on the cafeteria. Hit hard, hit fast and take no prisoners. Understood?"

"Yes, Fearless Leader!" Nora mock saluted.

* * *

"So, what do you think, P-money. Is there something between them?"

Pyrrha turned towards the blond girl walking next to her.

She honestly wasn't sure what to think about Yang Xiao Long. She seemed friendly enough, very confident, and an overall rather nice person. She also had a habit of giving everyone nicknames, and throwing out puns. Usually bad ones.

Pyrrha shifted her attention to her partner. He was walking at the front of the group, between Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose, saying something while gesturing energetically with his hands. From time to time, the heiress would throw in some snarky comment, and he would respond in kind.

It would be obvious that they knew each other - even if Weiss hadn't told her herself before initiation. But what was their relationship?

Weiss said they are friends, but was that it? Or maybe there were something more?

"I'm not sure. Weiss did admit they knew each other, and referred to him as an 'old friend' when we first met."

Yang hummed and nodded at that. Any further conversation between them was interrupted when they reached the cafeteria. It was getting late, but there was still a lot of students there. After a brief consideration, they decided to split up, with one team grabbing food, and other securing a table.

"So Ladykiller, how did you meet Weiss-cream? You seem awfully close." Asked Yang once they all settled.

"Do we?" Asked Jaune raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. She acts all high-class around us - proper manners, no sense of humor…"

"I fail to see how me having proper manners is a bad thing. And I do have sense of humor - it's just that your jokes are  _bad._ "

This statement was met with hum of approval from rest of team RWBY. Yang placed her hand over her heart and gasped in mock hurt.

"Betrayed by my own family. And you too Blake? My own partner?"

"Sorry Yang. But Weiss is right. Your puns are really bad."

"Yeh, sure. They are great, it's just you guys who are not fun."

She focused back on Jaune.

"But we are getting off-topic here. So, Ladykiller, I ask again. How did you meet Ice Princess here?"

Jaune hummed.

"Well, me and Leon - the guy who was training me - were in Atlas. There were some White Fang attacks on influential people, and most of them went crazy, started hiring Hunters left and right as bodyguards. This ended up as sort of competition - every rich person wanted to have his or her own Hunter bodyguard. The more rough-looking, the better. So Leon lined up some jobs for us. He was hired by some older couple, I was hired by Weiss' father. He apparently knew Leon, and wanted to hire him, but since my teacher already signed a contract, I was hired instead. "

He paused for a moment and shrugged.

"Wasn't too hard of a job. Weiss could take care of herself even then, and there were not many people daring to target her to begin with. Honestly, I spend more time carrying shopping bags, or taking care of guys who just wouldn't take hint, than doing anything even resembling bodyguarding."

"So how long did it last? Is it when you get your HIDE armor?" asked Ruby.

"Nah, I got it later. Back then I was hired only for for a few days. Weiss was giving a concert and White Fang apparently stated they would attack it. Turned out it was a false alarm - someone thought it would be funny to put everyone on edge."

He took sip of his tea and continued.

"After that we - Leon and I - started doing some contracted work for SDC. Mostly Grimm extermination, but few escort jobs too. That was good time for us - jobs were well paid, and Weiss's father even let us live in Schnee mansion. This lasted for month or so, and since we were only people around the same age, we talked, sparred few times, and generally hang out."

"So you two, alone in a big mansion. You sure there were no romance there?"

Weiss let out a long sigh.

"First of all we were not alone. Even if we don't count all the servants, there's still my mother, father and brother. Not to mention my older sister, who sometimes came with visit. And just because we hang out, doesn't mean we have to fall in love."

"So that's it? Just friends?" Yang asked with a curious expression.

Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Why 'just'? Jaune is the best friend I ever had."

The blond in question blushed a little.

"Well, thank you Weiss."

"Mostly because he had little to no competition."

"You didn't had to add that part…"

Nora hugged him.

"Don't worry Fearless Leader! You have us now."

Ruby did the same with Weiss.

"And you have us! We will be besties in no time, you will see!"

Weiss and Jaune looked each other in the eye and let out tired sighs.

"We walked straight into that one, didn't we?" The heiress asked.

"Yeah, we did." Jaune answered, hanging his head. Then he perked up, and checked his scroll.

"Hey guys. I just recalled there is call I really have to make, so…"

Nora let go of his arm, and he got up.

"Did something happened?" asked Pyrrha with hint of worry in her voice.

"Nah, just have to report to family. I was supposed to call yesterday, but it was so busy it kinda slipped by."

"Oh, then we won't keep you. Should we wait for you here, or…?"

"Nah, it will probably take at least an hour."

Pyrrha nodded and went back to her meal.

* * *

Blake watched Jaune leave the cafeteria from the corner of her eye, half-listening to the conversation at the table.

She frowed. He said it was call to family. And there was no real reason for him to lie. Then again - she still remembered hearing him talking with Headmaster Ozpin during initiation. Or did he? She was certain back then, but now, not so much. She could be mistaken - after all she had heard only few words, and now she wasn't even sure if they were what she remembered, or she just misheard.

She really wanted to follow him, but that would be suspicious. And her partner was bound to jump to some wild conclusions, if she excused herself so soon after him. Yeah, it was better to not give blond brawler any material for teasing…

"What are you looking at Blake? Interested in our resident knight?" Yang asked with a grin.

_Well, crap._

Blake was about to deny it, but thought better of it. She had known her for only a day or so, but was certain her partner would not let go so easily. And denying would just make her more interested.

"In a way, yes." She answered, instead looking Yang in the eye.

_Maintain eye contact, keep a straight face, and give a believable excuse, preferably mixed with truth. It's the only way to get rid of her._

"Oh? Care to elaborate?"

"I saw him fighting during initiation, and he piqued my interest. His style is different than what they teach in combat schools. More… I guess you could say grounded."

"Yeah, that is because he didn't go to combat school." Pyrrha said.

"Well, I figured it out from what he said earlier. Still, he didn't get to any official education at all?" Blake asked. She couldn't question the man himself, but it looked like his teammates were more than happy to share what they knew. Not the best source of information, since they would knew only what he wanted them to know, but better than nothing.

And it's not like she wanted to harm anyone. She just wanted to investigate a suspicious individual. Best case she would find nothing, and no one would get hurt. Worst case, she would save her… Friends? Acquaintances? She wasn't sure what to call them. But they were nice to her so far, and she had no reason to not help them.

"No, I don't think so. He said he traveled with Leon for four years - so I'm fairly certain he never went to a combat school."

"I can confirm that. There are no records of him ever attending any official training institution." Said Weiss, sipping her tea. After a moment, she noticed all eyes were focused on her.

"What?" She asked.

"How do you know that?" Asked Ruby.

The heiress shrugged

"I had him checked out when my father hired him."

"You... had him 'checked out'? You mean you hired a detective or something?"

Weiss sighed.

"No, I had some SDC employees check official Hunter training schools."

Yang shot her a strange look.

"Isn't that a bit… excessive?"

"I dont think so." Everyone turned to look at Blake.

"If he was supposed to be her bodyguard, I think it's reasonable to want to know who's hands you will be putting your life in."

Weiss nodded to her in thanks, and she nodded back.

Blake had a low opinion of the SDC - like most Faunus. And she had pretty good image of who Weiss Schnee - heiress to such an infamous company - would be. A stuck up, arrogant, self-centered, racist, spoiled bitch, who treats everyone else like inferior life forms.

As one would expect - she was not too thrilled to be on the same team as her. But now, barely even a day after their team was officially formed, she had to admit most of what she thought she knew was wrong. Weiss had high-class manners, and was rather reserved - but this was to be expected if one took her upbringing into consideration. She was not stuck up, she didn't treat them like they were lower than her. She didn't complain about taking orders from a cleary younger Ruby during initiation, and, as strange as it sounded, Blake was actually starting to like her.

Realising, with no small amount of embarrassment, that she judged her teammate based solely on her prejudices, she decided to make it up to her somehow. Sure, she didn't actually  _do_  anything bad to her, but it was a matter of principle.

Taking the heiress' side in conversation, especially if, objectively speaking, her actions were justified, seemed like a good way to do so.

After that, the conversation steered onto different topics - like fashion, Grimm, movies, weapons, new boy-bands, Dust and its usages in fighting Grimm. Normal topics that any young Huntesses (and one Hunter) in training would talk about. Strangely enough, most of the Hunter-related topics were brought up by Ruby.

Blake was listening with one ear, and analyzing what she had learned about Jaune Arc. There was not much of it. She got the name of his teacher, so she could try to look him up. From what she heard, he was some sort of freelancer Hunter, so there should be something in the Company database. Then a thought struck her.

_If Jaune was doing some freelance work on his own, he might be registered with the Company too. It's worth checking._

She nodded to herself and spared a quick glance to the cafeteria doors. Both teams were so engrossed in the conversation that no one would notice her slipping off. She could try to find Jaune, check if he really calling family, and...

 _Stop._ She ordered herself.  _This is too paranoid, even for me. Let's take it easy, after all, even if he did talk with the Headmaster during initiation, it doesn't mean he is up to something._

* * *

"Thank you." Said Jaune Arc, accepting a cup of tea from Glynda Goodwitch. The older woman nodded and moved to stand behind Headmaster Ozpin.

 _Well, this is awkward._ The blond boy thought, observing both adults. Jaune didn't have much experience with schools, but he had a feeling that being called to the Headmaster's office on your first day was not a good thing.

_Did I do something wrong? I don't think so. Also, I doubt they would be giving me tea if I were in trouble._

"Pardon me Headmaster, but what is purpose of this visit? Your earlier message lacked any details."

Almost immediately after leaving the cafeteria, he dialed Mei's number. His adopted grandmother answered after the first ring. Their talk was interrupted by a message from Ozpin, asking him to come to hsi office "as soon as possible." Mei wasn't happy about the sudden interruption, but he promised he would call back as soon as he was done with whatever the Headmaster wanted from him.

So now here he was, in his office, sipping on some rather good tea, and wondering what the hell was going on.

"There is no need to worry Mr. Arc, you are not in trouble. You will learn everything soon. We are still waiting for one more…" A sudden 'ding' interrupted Headmaster's speech. Soon after, there was a sound of elevator doors opening, and then heavy footsteps.

"Ah, here you are Peter."

"Ozpin. Glynda. Ah, even Mr. Arc. Well, I hope I didn't make you wait long?"

"Not at all. So, since you were the one who asked for his presence, how about you explain the situation to Mr Arc?"

Jaune raised an eyebrow at that. His Grimm studies professor wanted to meet him, and in the Headmaster office. Now that was interesting.

"Very well. Mr. Arc, reason I requested your presence is simple. There is a beast I intend to hunt down, and I could use some back up."

Jaune opened his mouth to ask question, but stopped when Headmaster took out grey envelope and handed it to him. He took out its contents - and everything become clear.

There were a few photos inside. The first of them featured a woman. Or rather a monster that looked like a woman - it would take a lot of effort to mistake it for an actual human being. While it had a shape closely resembling that of a human, there were a few distinctive traits that clearly indicated it was not human. Its skin was pitch-black, eyes glowing eldritch green, hair just wisp of smoke. Oh, and it was missing whole left side of its body. It looked like someone had draw a picture and then cut it perfectly in half.

Jaune scoffed.

"So someone messed up, and now they have Twins to deal with." He shook his head.

"Ha! I knew you will recognize what the beast was." Peter Port slapped Jaune on the back, with force that almost sent the young man flying.

"Tell me, young man, what do you know about this monster?"

"Not much" Jaune admitted with slight embarrassment. "Never encountered one myself. Leon - my teacher - used to say they appear when, I quote, 'some damn amateurs tries to do a professional's job and messes up'. This meant that if someone wounds a Wraith and fails to finish it. Or if something tied to it, usually part of the body, or some personal items, are taken away from area it spawns in, before it's properly cleansed."

Jaune was thinking for a moment, trying to recall what little info he had.

"They are not very dangerous. Slower, more predictable, and lack usually special abilities other Wraiths have. But the tricky part about dealing with them is that both halves have to be dealt with at the same time - otherwise it will regenerate."

"Very well my boy. So how about it? Will you help this old man on his hunt?"

His almost agreed. A chance to accompany such an experienced Hunter was not something that came by often. But there was still some things he had to clarify, before he made his decision.

"I would be happy too. But before that I have to ask - why me?"

"Now my boy, isn't this obvious? You are a Hunter, and I thought you could use some excitement. First semester can be a little… dull, beside maybe Miss Goodwitch's class." He said, nodding towards woman, who nodded back.

"Sadly, combat preparation schools teach only very basic information about Grimm, hardly more than is common knowledge - apparently because any more information is 'unsuited to be learned at such young age'." Peter shook his head.

"Is it really that bad?" Asked Jaune.

The older hunter shot him an amused look.

"Do you really need to ask? Well, ask yourself - how many of your friends were able to understand my tale? They are all exceptional young people, I might add."

Jaune winced. Yeah, that was pretty telling.

"Ok, I understand. But still, I'm sure you could easily get ahold of someone much more experienced than me."

"I could" The older man admitted easily. "But I want you. I admit you piqued my curiosity, and I would like to see you in action."

Jaune stared at the older man for few moments, then sighed and shook his head. Yeah, that was a reason as good as any. Now, only a few things left to clarify.

"So, when are we going? And where?"

Port smiled.

"Friday, after lessons. Location is a small woodworkers' colony, about four hours by bullhead form Vale. We will go in, hunt down our prey, and go back - should be back in Beacon before midnight." Jaune opened his mouth, but the older Hunter interrupted him.

"We still need to pinpoint the location of the prey. It has a wide territory for a Wraith, and its appearances are very irregular."

Jaune nodded.

"What about my team? Will they come with us?"

Peter shook his head.

"No, it will be only you and me, my boy. I don't want to be disrespectful, but I don't think someone not used to Harrowed, even as skilled as your teammates, should face a Wraith, even as weak as Twins."

Jaune nodded.

"Very well then. I'll give my team some excuse and meet you at bullhead docks after classes."

Peter Port nodded, smiling widely.

"Splendid. Then I'll see you this Friday, my boy."

Jaune nodded and shook Peter's hand. Then stood and turned to Ozpin.

"Is this all Headmaster?"

Older man smiled and shook his head.

"Yes Mr. Arc, you are free to go. I wish you a good night."

"LIkewise Headmaster." He shook the extended hand. "Miss Goodwitch." He nodded to the stern woman, who spared a look from over some papers she was examining, nodded to him, and went back to her work.

Jaune turned around and walked away.

When the elevator doors closed, cutting him fro Headmaster office, he could feel his mouth stretching in a smile.

So, a hunt alongside an experienced Hunter? He could already feel the excitement building up.

* * *

**AN: Yes Port is WITCHER too. No, this will be not only time he will bring Jaune along for Hunt.**

 

* * *

**Meeting the Ice Princess pt 2.**

Jaune was in a state of panic. One probably couldn't tell looking from the outside. Afterall, he was sitting at a small white table, in nice garden, drinking delicious tea from an expensive-looking porcelain cup. But none of those were reason for his nervousness - it was the girl that is sitting in front of him, taking sip from her own cup.

Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company - the biggest, and most influential company in the world.

And girl he apparently assaulted yesterday evening.

 _I really should have just jumped out of the window._ He thought, recalling the events of the morning.

* * *

Jaune went from asleep to fully awake in one moment. That part was normal for him - over two years of living in the Wilds tend to teach you to wake up fast. And quietly. For few moments he just listened to ambient sounds, trying to gauge if he could safely get up, and analyzing his situation.

He had a headache - nothing new. He recently become more focused on experimenting with his Elixirs. The upside was that he not only perfected a few of his recipes, but he also developed a new one, that had immediately proven very useful. The downside was that he had to test them - and Leon was not too willing to help.

He was lying in something soft - no doubt a bed. After opening his eyes, he noticed unfamiliar, and very… white room. This was nothing new to him either - he rarely slept in the same place long enough for any room to become familiar.

What was new, and made him nervous was how… nice room was. In fact, it was the best looking room he had ever seen. It was spacious, with a lot of expensive-looking furniture. The floors were covered in equally expensive-looking carpets, and the bed he was lying in now was big and impossibly soft. While it might be strange thing to be nervous about - Jaune was used to waking up in much less comfortable beds, in much worse conditions. So much white brought to mind a hospital - and Jaune had to admit it he woke up in those quite often after either a job, or an experiment went wrong.

The lack of key elements, like the sound of medical equipment, the smell of cleaning agents, and Leon sitting next to his bed to fill him in on what happened, confirmed it was not a hospital.

Jaune got up, noticing his equipment was lying right next to bed - but not his clothes. He also noticed a suit hanging from the chair next to his bed.

He got up, and went to the attached bathroom. He splashed his face with water, trying to recall the events of the past day - and hopefully to find a clue of where he was and what the hell he is doing here.

_Ok Jaune think. I went with Leon on that one job - exterminating a pack of Beawolves. It was bigger than expected, and led by an Alpha. We managed to kill most of them, but the Leader ran away. We chased the bastard to some cave - because of course it had to be a freaking cave. Since it was too dark to see anything, I decided to test that new Elixir I made. It was working fine, I was able to hear the bastard cleary. We killed it, went back to… whatever that village was called and got paid. Then we went back to Atlas, Leon mentioned he lined up some easy well-paying guard jobs for us. Just looking out for some rich snobs for a few days - not even out of city. We went to meet one client, Leon trashed their bodyguards when they didn't believed he was good enough for the job._

Jaune's eyes narrowed. He couldn't remember clearly what happened next. Ironically, it was a sharp pain in his head and wave of nausea that helped him remember.

_Ah, right. Leon, like the asshole that he is, got hammered and sent me to deal with the second client on my own, saying something about me needing practice, and that I'm better with dealing with 'those kind of people'. I had no choice but to go - and then the rebound from all Elixirs I drank that day kicked in. I remember that I couldn't quite focus on anything, and had trouble seeing clearly. What was next…_

Jaune walked out of the bathroom, brows furrowed. He vaguely recalled talking with someone, but the details eluded him. He looked over the room he was in - and not seeing any other clothes he could wear, he picked up white suit he noticed earlier. It fit perfectly, as if it was tailored specifically for him. There was symbol of a snowflake on the back that he recognized from somewhere - but his mind was still too muddy to recall from where.

Now fully dressed, he walked to the window and opened it. Cold air washed over him, helping him focus.

_Ok focus Jaune. You met with the client. I recall we met with some old dude before Leon got hammered. He excused himself, saying he had "important matters to attend to," and I went with the client. We got into a car, and then went into some big, white mansion. It was very clean - I remember thinking that it would be really unprofessional to puke all over this nice floor. Probably the only reason I managed to hold it in._

_Then we went to a room, and talked._

His brow furrowed even more, Jaune desperately tried to recall the events from only a few hours before.

_I think there was someone else there… Beside servants that is. A girl…_

At that moment, he heard knocking.

"Come in." He said, turning towards door.

Some older man walked in, and after him, a very pretty and very white young girl. The same girl from yesterday.

Then it hit him all at once.

"Good, you're awake. Follow me, there are some things we must discuss." Said Weiss Schnee.

Jaune gulped.

 _This… is bad._  He thought, following the daughter of his new boss - and the girl he manhandling last evening right in front of her father.

And didn't that sounded even worse than it was?

_I am so fucked._

* * *

**Poor Jaune. Got himself in quite the mess - and all because little Elixirs overdose. Next week we are back to Samantha shorts, but stoned!Jaune will be coming back in the near future.**

**See ya all next week.**


	10. Why we Fight

**CH 9**

Blake stretched and glared at the display screen. Surprisingly enough, this didn't cause it do change what it was displaying. She checked the time and winced. It was time to finish her little investigation, lest sh be late for her next class. And she preferred to not be the one to test how forgiving Miss Goodwitch was.

On the way to class, she thought over what she had learned. After yesterday's conversation, she tried to fish for more information about Jaune. Doing so discreetly might have been difficult - if not for Yang. Her partner apparently latched on idea of there being something between the heiress and blond knight. Or just wanted to tease her.

Either way, that worked out well for Blake. To avoid unnecessary hassle, Weiss had decided to answer every question the blond brawler had. It wasn't too hard to throw in a few of her own, or subtlety push Yang to ask them.

In the end, she didn't learn much more besides what Jaune himself had told them. After completing his job as Weiss' bodyguard, he left Atlas for around a month. When he came back, he and his teacher were frequently taking jobs from the head of SDC. The only interesting bit of information she got from this talk was that Jaune would often accept payment in rare, or high-quality Dust rather than money. Weiss didn't know - or simply wouldn't tell - how much Dust he was getting, but Bake somehow doubted it was for crafting a weapon of mass destruction, supplying his private army, or some other, similar crazy thing.

Her own investigation didn't provide her with much more. She confirmed that both Jaune and Leon were registered Company members, and that Leon was currently doing some long-term job in Atlas.

And that was it. The Company was very serious about privacy. The only information publicly available was who was a registered member, if they were currently under contract, and the location of the last Company office they visited.

She walked into class and noticed her team sitting near team JNPR. Blake focused in on Jaune. He was currently pouting, arms crossed over his chest, and looking away from Yang, who was grinning widely. Judging by the others' reactions - namely Ruby and Pyrrha's blushing, Weiss' scandalized expression, Nora's grin, and Ren's raised eyebrow, Blake could guess what happened.

Jaune Arc proved very vulnerable to teasing, something her partner was more than happy to take advantage of. No doubt she threw out another innuendo, embarrassing the young Hunter.

 _Well, he doesn't look, or act, like he is hiding something._ Blake thought.

She had some experience with these kind of people. Afterall, she lived with them for most of her life - and was one herself. People with something to hide usually were much more reserved, they would steer conversations away from them, or try not to stand out.

Jaune Arc didn't fit this description at all. His reactions were too honest, too natural to be fake, or just discretion.

_Either I am too paranoid, or he is Remnant's best actor._

Blake had enough self-awareness to know which option was more likely to be true.

Yang spotted her and waved.

"Hey Blake-y. Where have you been? We were starting to worry you decided to skip."

"In the library."

Yang blinked.

"Library?"

"Yes, library. You know, the place where they store books? You could visit it from time to time yourself, maybe you would learn something."

Yang opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Miss Goodwitch announcing the first duel.

Team RWBY cheered loudly when Weiss Schnee stepped into the arena. Her opponent - some green-haired guy using two tonfas, received as much of a cheer from his own team - and quite a few females in the audience.

From her place in the audience, Blake could both observe the fight - and Jaune. He was sitting there, his arms crossed, and apparently focused entirely on fight. He was nodding to himself from time to time, when one of the combatants made some slick maneuver.

Blake sighed.

_Well, he hasn't done anything wrong. And this might really be just my paranoia talking._

After some brief consideration, she decided to let go of her investigation for now. Jaune looked like a genuinely nice person, and she could always secretly observe him. If it looked like he was up to no good, she would interfere, but for now, she probably should focus more on her school life.

Blake focused back on the fight taking place. Both opponents were much more closely matched than most of the fights she'd seen up till now. Weiss was able to keep her opponent at distance for most of the time, only taking short exchanges in melee.

The green-haired boy, who's name Balke didn't catch, was able to stay mostly unhurt thanks to what she assumed was his Semblance. He was able to put up see-through screens that acted as cover... they never lasted long, but were enough to stop most of Weiss' ranged attacks, then shattering into particles of light.

This had continued for almost four minutes now, and both combatants had visually slowed down. It started to look like the fight would end in a draw - both of them were at around forty percent of their Aura, and so far they were evenly matched. That all changed in the next exchange.

After Weiss fired her next barrage of Dust attacks, her opponent put up his barriers again. But this time it flickered, and disappeared much faster. Seeing an opening, Weiss fired a few more attacks. A few were dodged, a few hit the target, and the rest were blocked by another barrier that shattered almost instantly.

The green-haired boy stood up, but he staggered. Weiss charged in, eager to finish the fight - but Myrtenaster impacted another barrier instead of the boy's chest. He smirked, suddenly far less tired than he pretended to be just a moment ago. Weiss tried to retreat - but her back hit an invisible wall too.

 _So that was bait…_ Thought Blake.

Her teammate tried to escape - but it proved futile. She was trapped in a dome-shaped barrier that prevented her from escaping. Forced into melee, she did her best, but with no place to maneuver she was soon backed into the wall.

Soon, Myrtenaster was knocked aside, and the boy pinned both her hands above her head. He leaned close, and said something - no doubt asking heiress to surrender. Blake rolled her eyes - the guy apparently tried to act like prince charming.

_Now, what will you do Weiss?_

The crowd was cheering.

The boy was smirking.

Weiss headbutted him.

Yang whistled.

"Wow. I wouldn't have thought Weiss-cream could pull off something like that."

Blake couldn't agree more. Everything about the heiress screamed elegance - even her weapon and fighting style. It was shocking to see her pull out a move more suited for a back alley fight.

The sudden attack was apparently enough to dispel the green-haired boy's control over his Semblance - something Weiss immediately took advantage of. She retreated and started bombarding her opponent with Dust attacks. He on the other hand, decided to just charge ahead, and try to lock the heiress into melee.

In the end, Weiss claimed victory - but by a very narrow margin. She won with only a few percent of her Aura above her opponent. People watching fight apparently appreciated a good show and were cheering loudly for both combatants. They got even louder, when Weiss offered her hand to the downed boy - and he accepted it.

When the heiress joined back with her team, it was to three people staring at her with mix of disbelief and curiosity.

"What?" She asked.

"Well… you headbutted that guy." Ruby pointed out.

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I did. If you didn't notice, I had rather limited options in that moment."

"Well yeah, but I'm still surprised you would pull off something like that." Yang said shaking her head.

Weiss snorted.

"I fight to win Xiao Long. You will do well to remember that."

Yang's grinned at that.

"Oh, I will."

Blake shook her head. It appeared that heiress had many more surprises in store for her.

* * *

"You saw that!? You saw that, right?! It was awesome!"

Jaune smiled, and Yang rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Ruby, we all saw that."

The young Huntress' first fight went rather well. Her opponent - Russel Thrush - was a fast and agile fighter, Jaune would give him that.. But he was simply no match for Ruby. She dominated the whole fight, from start to finish, using her Semblance to great effect. Her opponent simply couldn't keep up with the tempo the young huntress enforced - though, to be fair not many people probably could.

"I was like 'poof', and he was 'bam', and I was like 'zip' and he was 'paf.'" Ruby exclaimed, waving her arms around. Both teams snickered - except for Nora. She was stroking her chin, eyebrows narrowed.

"You know what Ruby? I think at the end it was 'baf', not 'paf.'"

Everyone stared at Nora - though she didn't seem to mind.

Ruby blinked a few times, and took on a contemplative look.

"You sure?" She asked after a few seconds.

Nora nodded.

"Yes, I'm positive."

Yang opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when Jaune put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

"Don't even try. That way lies madness."

She looked back to Nora and Ruby, and after brief consideration, nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. It's probably not worth the effort."

She turned back to him and grinned.

"So, Ladykiller, how does it feel to be the only one left out?"

Jaune shrugged. Out of both teams, he was the only one who hadn't fought in Miss Goodwitch class yet.

"It's not like it matters. I can always practice with my team."

"Well you could practice with me…" Yang said, winking at him.

Jaune opened his mouth to answer, but paused, thought about something for a few moments, then looked up and considered both teams for a moment.

"You know what…" he said eventually. "That is actually a pretty good idea." He nodded to her and called out to the rest of their teams.

"Hey guys, what would you say about some joint sparrings between our teams?"

"Right now?" Asked Ren, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Nah, we just left combat class afterall."

"So how about this weekend?" Offered Pyrrha.

"I have something planned for Friday. So how about Saturday afternoon?"

"Sounds good." Ruby said nodding.

"Ok, then we are set. See ya later guys." Jaune waved and both teams separated. JNPR went to the room, while RWBY headed towards the library.

* * *

Ruby leaned against the wall, and let out tired sigh. Beacon had proved to be everything she hoped for - and more. Much more - possibly too much. At first, she was excited when she was appointed leader of her team - but now she was starting to have doubts. She was two years younger and everyone in her team was so… awesome.

Yang - her beloved older sister, and all around badass fighter.

Stoic Blake, who was always calm, with sharp mind and sharper senses. She was like a ninja!

Weiss Schnee - heiress to the biggest company in all of Remnant - and a person who apparently knew everything.

None of them said a word about her being leader, none of them complained. But Ruby still felt doubts gnawing at her. How was she supposed to lead so many amazing people? She had no idea what to do!

She pushed off of the wall, and continued wandering Beacon's corridors. After the study session in the library - where Weiss had to help her with homework  _again_  - she excused herself when rest her team went to the room. She just needed some time to herself, to think things through.

_Why me? Why was it me who was selected to be team leader?_

She let out another sigh, rounding the corner - and bumped into someone.

"Ruby?" She heard a familiar voice ask.

She looked up and forced a smile.

"Hey Jaune. What are you doing here?"

"Just went on a walk to clear my head. You?"

"The same."

"Did something happen?"

She tilted her head to the side.

"No… why do you ask?"

"Well... you look pretty down."

"Nah, you're imagining things. I feel great!"

She exclaimed with a big smile.

Jaune just tilted his head.

"I'm serious, everything is great. I got to go Beacon two years early, I got to be on team with my sister, I got amazing teammates, I've already made more friends in two days than I did for two years at Signal. And I was even made team leader! How could things be anything but great?"

He crossed his arms and continued to stare at her. After a while he spoke.

"But they're not, are they?"

She stared back. Then hung her head.

"Am I so easy to read?"

"Well… I have seven sisters. Six younger. So I have a lot of practice with detecting when girls are feeling down."

She smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you would."

"So, what's bugging you? I don't know if I will be able to help, but just talking about it might make you feel better."

She considered it for a moment. Jaune was cool - maybe even cooler than Yang - though she would never say it in front of her sister. He had lived in the Wilds for four years! So he was almost like a normal Hunter.

_And he is a team leader too - maybe he can share a few tips!_

She nodded to herself. It couldn't hurt to ask - afterall, he offered to help!

"What makes a good team leader?" She asked looking him in the eyes.

He was stroking his chin for a few moments, then smiled at her.

"I have no idea."

She started at him.

He stared at her.

"W-what do you mean you have no idea?!" She exploded. Was he making fun of her? Couldn't he see it was a serious problem for her?

"Calm down Ruby." He said raising his hands in a placating gesture. "I really don't know."

"B-but you were training in the Wilds! And you were able to come up with a strategy to beat the Deathstalker on the fly! And you are always so confident, and you always know what to do, and what to say, and…"

"Ruby."

She looked up at him.

"First of all - me training in the Wilds does not mean I'm a great leader. I've never led a team before - it was always Leon who did the planning, I just followed orders. Second, I might have come up with a plan to kill the Deathstalker, but you came up with one to take down the Nevermore - which was a much bigger threat, and harder target to take out. Third - yeah you are right. I  _act_  like I know what I'm doing. But in reality - I'm just winging it."

She stared at him for a few moments, hoping it would turn out to be very bad joke. But it didn't. She hung her head and whispered to no one in particular.

"Then how I'm supposed to get better?"

"Well, just learn."

She looked up at her fellow team leader.

"I mean - we are in school, aren't we? And this is a place to learn new things. So, if we don't know how to be good leaders, we just study it."

"B-but what if I make a mistake?"

He just shrugged.

"Then you'll learn from it. I've made tons of mistakes - some more serious than others. Sometimes it was me who had to pay the price." He looked above her, through the window.

"Sometimes it was someone else."

He looked back at her.

"There was a time when these mistakes were holding me back. I doubted myself, never believing I could do something right. Because of that, I was making more mistakes, and that made me doubt myself more. At one point, I was so convinced I was just a failure that I wanted to resign from becoming a Hunter.."

She gasped in shock. Jaune - not good enough to be a Hunter? That was ridiculous!

Jaune smiled wistfully.

"When I told Leon about this, he said "the only people who don't make mistakes are the ones who do nothing.' He also said 'I didn't train your scraggy ass for two years for you to resign now.' He then proceed to beat my doubts out of me. Both literally and figuratively."

He smiled and Ruby giggled. This Leon guy sounded a lot like her uncle Qrow.

"So, don't worry If you are making mistakes at the beginning. No one can become perfect at something they've never done before on day one." He paused for a moment. " Well, maybe except for Weiss. But that's kinda her thing - being perfect. Better not intrude on Ice Princess territory."

She giggled again. Then let out a long sigh.

"Thanks Jaune. This helped a lot."

"Sure thing. What are friends for? If you ever need to talk again, or just hang, out let me know. Us team leaders have to stick together."

She shot him a smile.

"Sure thing."

He looked like he was considering something for a moment, then spoke up again.

"Hey Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"Actually, I was going to go out to Vale,\ to buy few things. Wanna tag along?"

Ruby almost said yes. Almost. She opened her mouth - and then shut it.

_Wait, wait, hang out, as in just him and me? Wouldn't it be like a d…_

She cut off this train of thought instantly. Nope, nuh-uh. No way. Jaune was a friend - her first friend at Beacon. Sure he was a boy - a  _male_ friend, but still friend. They could just hang out and it didn't have to mean anything, right? Yes, definitely. But this left another problem. If Yang found out - and she  _would_  find out - that Ruby hung out with a boy alone, the teasing would be unbearable. No, she couldn't risk it.

But then again - refusing would be rude, wouldn't it? Jaune proposed to hang out with her to cheer her up, and if she just shot down his proposition - it might hurt him. What if he doesn't want to hang out with her afterwards?

The buzzing of her scroll broke her out of her thoughts. She checked it - and smiled at the message she saw.

"Sorry - Weiss demands my presence. Apparently my homework was less than perfect, so I need to redo it." She said with an apologetic smile

He laughed.

"Yeah, that sounds like her." He then looked around and whispered to her conspiratorially

"Wanna know a way to pacify the Ice Princess?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. That sounded interesting.

"Sure."

Jaune grinned.

"Listen well. If she looks like she is in bad mood - so probably like 99% of the time - just feed her some chocolate muffins with blackberries. She loves them and will be much more manageable. Just don't overuse it - only once per two or three weeks."

Ruby nodded. She could understand that. She prefered cookies herself, but muffins weren't bad either. And while blackberries were clearly inferior to strawberries - everyone had their own tastes, and she was tolerant so she wouldn't judge.

They said their goodbyes and walked away. Ruby smiled. This little talk really helped.

Jaune was right. She didn't have to be perfect from the start, right? As long as she put in the effort, she would get better - and this was why she was going to school. To learn new things.

* * *

Jaune made his way towards the Beacon air dock, making a shopping list in his head. Just as he was about to board the bullhead heading to Vale, a few familiar voices caught his attention. He looked around, and sure enough - his team was marching towards the other bullhead. Well, Nora was marching, dragging Ren along, and Pyrrha followed after them.

He waved his hand to catch their attention - and soon enough, they were sitting inside the bullhead together.

"So, I thought you guys said you want to study more? What made you change your mind?" Jaune asked his team.

"Nora." Was Ren's simple answer.

Said girl smiled widely, apparently taking this as a compliment.

Jaune raised his brow at that and looked at his partner.

"Well, we  _were_  studying. But then Nora started complaining that she and Ren only visited Vale briefly, and didn't have chance to look around properly."

Jaune nodded.

"Ok, I think I can imagine what happened next. What about you Pyrrha? Have you visited Vale before?"

The red haired Huntress nodded.

"Yes, on several occasions. But it was always work-related, interviews, Pumpkin Pete promotional campaigns, that sort of thing. Never had a chance to do any sightseeing in peace myself. That's why I decided to tag along. How about you Jaune? You are from around here right?"

"Well, kinda? My hometown is about four hours by plane from Vale. And I haven't visited the city too much for the past four years. Though I know a few nice places we could visit. I could show you around a bit if you want."

Pyrrha smiled.

"That sounds lovely."

They reached Vale soon after. After around two hours walking around the city, they decided to take a break in a small restaurant. The food was good, and a reasonable price. It was quite nice to just sit there and talk, while enjoying a meal and each other company. That is until they had to run away.

Surprisingly, it wasn't because of Nora - but Pyrrha. Jaune was in the middle of a grand tale about his first solo Grimm kill - when sudden a gasp draw the attention. A few tables away, two girls were staring at them with open mouths. One of them pulled out her scroll, they both looked at it, then at them again.

Not them but at Pyrrha, Jaune realized. One look at his partner's resigned face told him what would gonna happen.

Sure enough, soon they were surrounded by people. Jaune had no idea where they come from - he was certain that there was nowhere near as many people in the restaurant just a few moments ago.

His partner stood up, and told them to wait for a bit.

"They will go away when they get what they want." She said walking away under one wall to take picture with the two girls that recognized her. But it didn't end at that. Soon, more people followed - each eager to take advantage of the situation.

After around ten minutes, Jaune was starting to get impatient. Pyrrha already dealt with far more people that there were in restaurant, and the queue to his partner wasn't getting any smaller - quite the opposite. He walked to the bar to maybe order few more drinks -and froze when he heard what some guy next to him was saying into his scroll.

"Yeah, it's her I'm sure. Got my picture already… No, I'm not 'shitting' you. Here I'll send it to you… Yeah, I told you! Now stop wasting time and get over here. And call…" At this point Jaune stopped listening. A quick look around confirmed that there were more people sharing the news of the great Pyrrha Nikos appearing in some random restaurant in Vale.

He looked back to his partner. She was still standing near wall, taking pictures, and signing autographs with a smile on her lips. Jaune decided that he absolutely hated that smile - plastic and forced. It was nothing like the one Pyrrha had when she was genuinely happy. She looked up after singing yet another piece of paper - and for a brief moment their eyes met.

Jaune could feel something could stir in his stomach at look of utter resignation on his partner's face. He took a step towards her. He wasn't sure what he should do - but he knew he had to do  _something._

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around to see Ren and Nora. They both looked uncertain of what to do - but also determined to follow him if he decided to act.

Jaune took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then let it go.

"You guys hold the door. I'll grab Pyrrha." He didn't wait for a response - didn't even look back to see if they followed his instructions. He didn't have to.

A few people let out angry yelps when he pushed through the crowd surrounding his partner. Someone grabbed his hand, but he tore it free. The closer he got the harder it was to move forward. Jaune scowled and started to push even harder. There was no way he would let his partner go through this hell any longer.

* * *

Smile. Nod. Sign autograph. Laugh at joke. Simle. Pose for photo. Thank for compliment. Smile. Tell joke. Smile. Sing autograph.

Smile.

Pose.

Sign.

Pyrrha was in trance. How many times it had she done this? Tens? Hundreds? She was sure it hadn't reached thousands yet.

It was always the same. Masses of faces and names she couldn't hope to remember. Plastic smiles and laughs from her.

Plastic praises from crowd.

Smile. Pose. Sign.

She felt like a robot, like a machine programed to do only these three things.

Smile. Pose. Sign.

Over and over again. Until everyone was satisfied. Until everyone got their chance to interact with the idol, their hero, The Invincible Girl.

Pyrrha Nikos wondered what her friends were doing now. It was such a nice day - they had walked around Vale, joked and laughed together. It was going so well - and then she ruined everything. She hadn't even done anything- beside being there.

Beside being Pyrrha Nikos.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed another person stepping up to her - and used this as an excuse to free herself from guy who held her way too close when taking a photo - and just wouldn't let go.

She turned to the newcomer, hand extended and practiced smile on her lips. She already opened her mouth to greet him - and paused when a strong arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"Ok ladies and gentlemens, showtime is over." A very familiar voice called.

She just stood there, mouth slightly agape, staring at her partner. She didn't protested when he pulled her closer. She didn't try to stop him when he started to guide her towards the exit.

There were quite a few disappointed, or angry, shouts - but Jaune ignored them.

Pyrrha only vaguely registered them - she was still staring at her partner. His eyes were hard, face set in stone.

Someone got in they way and tried to stop them, then let out surprised yelp when they were lifted up and tossed aside, revealing a grinning Nora.

She skipped to them, and took her place on Pyrrha's left side.

They finally made it to the exit - where Ren was preventing any new people from entering the restaurant. He nodded at them and took Jaune's place on Pyrrha's right, while the leader of Team JNPR walked out and scanned the crowd outside.

Then they moved out, Pyrrha surrounded by her team. They pushed through the crowd, and she could hear the shouts. Some people were asking for autographs, others for photos. Someone was screaming that they loved her.

They walked ahead, and the crowd followed. Pyrrha took a deep breath and steeled her resolve.

"Jaune, I think…"

"Nope!" Shouted Nora.

"Rejected." Exclaimed calmy Ren.

"Denied." Stated Jaune.

She blinked a few times, unsure what was happening.

"Wha…"

"No Pyrrha." Said her partner. "We're not leaving you with these."

"They're just going to follow us. It's ok Jaune, I've done it many times. I'm used to this."

Her partner spared her a single look and scoffed.

"Well then MIss Nikos, you better get used to not not dealing with it, because I'm sure as hell not letting some random people pester my partner."

He look around, scanning the crowd that was still following them. Somewhere along the line, several people with professional cameras appeared and started taking photos.

Jaune scowled.

 _Paparazzi. I_   _hate those guys._

"Ok guys we're making run for it. Follow me, I know a place where we can get some privacy not far from here. Ready?"

They nodded.

"Go!"

They broke into a sprint. The crowd stopped, surprised at the sudden motion. Then, with a roar, it followed.

Pyrrha wanted to stop her team. Wanted to tell them that this was a mistake, that the best way to deal with this was to just stop and please crowd, give it what it wanted. But she couldn't.

She was laughing too hard.

* * *

"So… What is this place Fearless Leader? Some secret meeting place?" Asked Nora looking around room couriusly.

After around a half an hour of running around, they managed to lose people chasing them (good luck to civilians trying to keep up with Hunters). Then Jaune led them to an ordinary two-story building. There was a signboard above doors saying it was a pub. Pyrrha had a bit of reservation about visiting such an establishment. It wasn't too run-down, but they were all underaged. But with little choice left, she followed her leader.

When inside, Jaune walked towards the counter and showed something that Pyrrha couldn't see the barman. The man nodded and gave the blond Hunter some keys.

Jaune then led them through the back door to hallway filled with black, unmarked doors. He opened one, and let them in into a spacious room. Team JNPR made themselves comfortable, but understandably, they all had questions. What was this place? How Jaune did know about it? For once, Nora's statements sounded plausible at least.

"Well, you are not wrong Nora." Their leader said, walking towards one wall - and what looked like a control panel on it. He tapped a few buttons and soft, classical music started playing.

"I know you guys have some questions, but before I answer them, I want to make sure of something. You all know what the Company is?"

"You mean the Worldwide Independent Taskforce Company?" Asked Ren, and, after his team leader confirmed, he paused for a moment.

"All I know is that they are the go-to place if you need to hire qualified personnel for a limited time. Some call it a mercenary agency - but they can put you in touch with any type of freelancer professionals. From simple workers, or truck drivers, to qualified medical or science personnel - they have it all."

Jaune nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, that sums it up pretty well. They also organize professionals courses. And this." He said motioning over the room. "Is one of the Company's special meeting places. It's used when some influential people do not want anyone to see with whom they meet. It's all legal, an officially registered business - so don't worry, I'm not dragging you into a life of crime."

His last comment earned him a few chuckles from his team.

"But how do you know about this place?" Pyrrha asked

"Well isn't that obvious? I'm a registered member of Company, so of course I would know about it."

"You are?" Three voices sounded at the same time.

Jaune looked over his team, and the rubbed back of his head.

"Well… yeah. I mean, I told you guys I was working as a freelancer, right?" They nodded.

"Yeah, so I figured out it would be obvious that I'm also a part of the Company. Every freelancer with half a brain is registered there. It's too hard to get a good job otherwise."

His team nodded at that, but Pyrrha still looked uncertain,

"But still, it seems a bit strange you can just go in, and request such a private room out of nowhere. Aren't there any… regulations about using these rooms?"

Jaune just shrugged.

"There are. But if you are registered long enough, and have a good track record, they will let you bend the rules a bit. As long as you will don't interfere with normal meetings, or try to organize something illegal, you will be fine." Jaune chuckled. "Hell, me and Leon used places like that as free hotels more than a few times."

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how do you get registered in Company? I thought you had to pass some test before they let you. And don't they have an age limit?" Asked Ren.

"Not really. The only condition to be registered as a member is that you can't be under education, employment or training in any official institution. There is no age limit, but if you are not legally an adult, you need to have permission form your legal guardians. After you register, you can take evaluation tests to determine your skills - that way, if you already have experience in some field, you will be able to sign up for better jobs."

"Does that mean you can't take any job on your own after you register?"

"No, you are free to do what you want. Though if you sign a contract for longer than three months, or register for any form of education for more than six months, your licence will be suspended. You don't lose anything - it's just that, bar some special cases, you won't be taken under consideration when assigning people for Company contracts."

"Ummm , Jaune?"

"Yes, Pyrrha?"

His partner looked uncertain about something. She fidgeted in her seat few times, then took deep breath and looked him in the eyes.

"Please don't get it wrong way, I'm just curious. Why did you decided to attend Beacon?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by his partner.

"I-I didn't mean that you do not fit or anything like that!"

"Pyrrha…"

"It's just that you are very skilled already, and you know a lot about Grimm…"

"Yeah, but…"

"And you were doing contracts on your own already! Even for SDC, so you obviously could earn your living. So I was just wondering.."

"Pyrrha!"

She clapped her mouth shut.

"I'm not offended or anything. And I'll gladly answer your question - if you let me speak." He said with a smile.

Pyrrha blushed slightly and quietly mumbled. "I'm sorry".

Jaune nodded and pondered her question for a moment.

"I guess there are three main reasons why I went to Beacon." he said finally.

"First is 'recognition.' How much you earn as freelancer is solely dependent on how many people are willing to hire you - and how much they are willing to pay you. Most folks prefer someone with official, documented education, over someone with practical experience, but no documented qualifications. But if you have both - you have much easier time finding a good job."

"Second is 'education'. I may have learned a lot from Leon, but there is still much more for me to learn. I  _could_  just rough it out in the Wilds on my own, being all cool and edgy, and learning from my mistakes. But it's not good for your health - it's better to learn from people who already made these mistakes and lived to tell the tale."

"And the third reason…" he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well, I guess I just wanted to." He finished with a nervous laugh.

Pyrrha chuckled and sent him a friendly smile.

"Well, for whatever it's worth, I think that those are good reasons."

"So how about you guys? I can kinda guess why you want to go to Beacon - but why choose a Hunter career? It's not exactly the safest one."

Jaune's question caused his teammates to fall silent for a few long moments.

"Me and Nora experienced the horror that is Grimm early on in our lives." Ren finally said. "At first, I just wanted to run away, to hide from this nightmare. But that didn't work - images of my village's fall haunted me at nights. I first started training… I don't even remember the reason. But I do remember sleeping well for the first time in a long time after the first session. So I continued to train, to get rid of nightmares. I'm not sure when my thinking shifted from 'I want to stop my nightmares' too 'I want to stop such nightmares from happening ever again,' but I'm pretty sure Nora had something to do with it."

After finishing his tale, the black-haired boy shot a smile to his partner - who returned it.

 _They are so cute together._ Jaune and Pyrrha though at the same time.

"Yeah, Renny was really broody type back then. I would have knocked it out of him with Magnhild, but I didn't have it."

"Then why did you decided to become a Huntress, Nora?"

The ginger haired girl stared at her leader, like he asked the dumbest question ever.

"Well, duh? Who would take care of Renny if I wasn't there? He is fragile, you know. And he needs his hugs, and cuddles, and for someone to wake him up in the morning, and to drag him around when he falls asleep standing."

Jaune just shook his head. Those two were just too cute.

"Then what about you Pyrrha?" He asked his partner

She contemplated the question for a few moments, before finally answering.

"I guess it just felt… right to me. My parents were both Hunters, and I always wanted to be like them. I started training as soon as I was big enough. I never even considered the possibility of  _not_  becoming Huntress. It's not like I was forced to do it or anything! It's just that… When I was five or so my mom let me hold her weapon once. And from this moment I knew I wanted to be Huntress - that it was my destiny."

Jaune was listening carefully to his partner's story, smiling all the time. Though at the end his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Destiny, huh? Well, to be honest I'm not biggest fan fo this 'destiny' talk. I believe every person makes they own fate" He said.

"Oh, I didn't mean 'destiny' as 'predetermined set of events.' It's more like… a goal. Something you know with a certainty is worth working towards."

"Goal, you say?"

Jaune hummed.

"Well, I can get behind that idea."

"So, how about you Fearless Leader? You told us why you went to Beacon, but not why you wanted to be a Hunter in the first place?"

"Well…" Jaune begin, thinking about how to answer to Nora's question. "It started similar to Pyrrha. My father is Hunter, and there were quite a few Arc's in the past who followed this path. I grew up listening to stories of the heroic deeds of my ancestors - and to stories about how my father was constantly saving people. In my eyes, 'Hunter' and "Hero' become the same thing. So, I wanted to be this cool Hero, just like in the stories I heard when I was little. But that was at the beginning - it changed when I started traveling with Leon. I saw that world is not as nice as in the stories, and heroes tend to die stupidly, fighting lost battles, when simply retreating would let them save more lives."

"I'm not saying heroes are bad," he added quickly seeing his teams somber expressions. " It's just that… well Leon was always saying that there are two types of Hunters - Heroes, who inspire people and are loved by the masses, and professionals, who would just get the job done as fast and as efficiently as possible. Both types are needed, both types will help people. But professionals tend to return home more often."

Jaune sighed and continued.

"I love my family, and I want to make them proud. I love to help people. I also greatly enjoy traveling, and even fighting Grimm. Being a Hunter allows me to do all of these things. I will still risk my life to protect civilians from Grimm. But I wouldn't throw my life away in some heroic last stand. Those things looks cool in stories and might inspire people. But they really suck for the ones who cared for the person doing said last stand."

After Jaune finished speaking, all of them fell silent, each one lost in they own thoughts.

Around half an hour later, Jaune got a message at his scroll informing him that they should vacate the room.

"Well, it has gotten pretty late." He said when they left the building. The sun was already touching the west side of horizon, and it was quickly getting dark.

"We better head to Beacon fast. It wouldn't do to miss the last bullhead, right?" His statement was met with a hum of approval from his team.

Before they reached air docks, the somber mood from earlier was lifted. Nora was telling some crazy tale, and Ren was trying to calm her down. Pyrrha was laughing, throwing the occasional question that Nora answered with a serious expression. Jaune was just shaking his head at his team antics.

Things were good. Really good. He wondered how long they would stay like that.

* * *

**And here we go. Another chapter out of the way. Some people were asking in reviews why Jaune would want to go to Beacon - so there are his reasons. I also decided that if Jaune will be giving his - rest of team JNPR should follow the suit.**

**Pyrrha was easy enough, since she basically said it herself - she felt like it was her destiny.**

**Nora and Ren were tricker. We know nothing about they motivations. After such traumatic experience it wouldn't be surprising for them to just want to hide. I would imagine this being the case for Ren - he watched his home being destroyed, and his family dying. So I guess this had bigger impact on him than on Nora. I could see him just wanting to stay as far away from Grimm as reasonably possible.**

**But then Nora happened. And Nora do not care about silly things like common sense and reasons.**

 

* * *

**What's Your Type?**

She smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress for what must have been the hundredth time in the past few minutes. Her eyes scanned over the tablecloth she had laid out, assuring that everything was in its place.

The basket was perfectly centered, not too close to one end or the other, neutral.

The glasses were clean and set.

The napkins folded and ready.

Everything sat on a grassy hill underneath a shady oak tree overlooking the river that ran by the town.

Everything was perfect.

Except Jaune…Jaune was late

.

Was it too romantic? She meant for it to be a little romantic, but what if she scared him off? Was it too much? Did she overdue it?

 _Breath girl!_  She thought.

_It's Jaune, he's always late. If he wasn't late, he wouldn't be Jaune. Just be patient._

As if on cue, she watched as a crop of messy blond hair started to crest the hill.

_Oh thank God!_

He smiled at her, "Hey Sam." He looked over the picnic and raised an eyebrow. "This is really nice, what's the occasion?"

"N-no occasion! I'm allowed to do nice things!" She blurted. "Besides, you're late!"

His smile widened into a grin. His stupid, charming, 'you love me anyway' grin. "I usually am."

She poked a finger at him. "And it's rude! You'll be lucky if you get any!"

He cocked his head to the side. "Am I going to?"

She sighed.

_I need better bluffs._

"I suppose…"

He clapped his hands together. "Great!"

_Damn you Jaune Arc._

She motioned for him to sit, then started passing out the food.

_Alright, hold it in Sam. Wait till he starts eating, till he's relaxed before starting operation 'Dork Date.' You can wait._

She almost strangled him as he took roughly an hour and a half to put mayonnaise on his sandwich. At least it FELT like that long.

_Breath._

She distractedly went about preparing her own food in an attempt to make time pass faster.

"Sam, you ok?" A slightly concerned voice called.

"Y-yeah, of course!"  _Does he know!?_  "W-why do you ask?"

He shook his head. "It's just…I've never seen someone spread mayonnaise on their apple before."

_Dammit!_

"I'm...an innovator?" She tried weakly.

He shrugged.

_Bless you for being dense, Jaune Arc._

He took a bite of his sandwich.

_Finally!_

"Hey Jaune?"

"Yeah?" He answered around his sandwich.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

He choked.

_Was that too forward?_

"What?!" He coughed.

She huffed. "It's a simple question! Do. You. Have. A. Girlfriend?"

He shook his head animatedly. "No! Who's dating anyone around here!?"

"Bobby says that Marry and him are going steady."

He laughed. "Does she know that?"

She sighed. "Probably not." She gave it a few moments. "So…if you were dating someone, what would be your type?"

"My what-now?"

_Dammit Jaune._

"Your type Jaune. The sort of girl you like." He stared at her blankly. "Ok, I like older boys with lighter hair and eyes. They have to be good with family too!"

_Was that too on the nose?_

She gestured to him. "Now you go."

He sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

Why was it adorable when he did that? Clearly some sort of dork magic.

"Geez, I never really thought about it." He hummed. "I guess…I like long hair…"

Hers was short.

"…that's a light color, like almost white…"

Hers was red.

"…maybe my age of slightly older..."

_Ok, we're 0 for 3. Today could have gone better…_

"…but…"

Her heart stopped.

"I think I could be ok with just about anybody as long as we could just hang out." He gestured to the picnic. "Like this."

She searched his face for any recognition of what he'd just suggested.

_Nope, none. Figures._

He took another bite of the sandwich. "This is really good Sam."

"Uh-huh." She wasn't really listening anymore.

_I wonder how long it'll take to grow out my hair? Will mom get mad if I dye it?_

* * *

**Oh, Jaune you poor, oblivious fool. How is it that green eyed, red-haired girls fall for you, and you do not notice? Anyway, see you guys next time.**


	11. Hunting Twins in Moonlight Forest

It was Friday afternoon, and Jaune was doing the same thing any normal seventeen-old would be - counting the minutes until his last lesson ended.

He spared one more glance at the clock hanging on the wall, just above the blackboard.

_Only five minutes and thirty four seconds…_

It wasn't that lesson was boring. Quite the opposite - while Social Studies didn't sound like something you would have at combat school, this lesson was almost entirely focused on laws regarding Aura users in general, and Hunters in particular.

Jaune sighed and looked at the clock again. Five minutes and twenty five seconds. Turns out constantly checking time does not make it flow faster. Heh, who would have thought.

The blond hunter let out another sigh, and tried to focus on what the teacher, a lean, older man who's name he didn't catch, was saying. Then something hit him in the head.

Jaune didn't have to look to know what it was - he could see a small ball of paper roll and stop next to his leg. He didn't turn around to check who might have thrown it either.

He could hear team CRDL snicker behind him.

It didn't take long for the four-boy team to earn a rather bad reputation at Beacon. It was only four days since initiation and just about everyone knew that they were bullies, racists, and overall assholes. And apparently sore losers. Almost immediately after Thrush lost to Ruby, Team CRDL started bullying the young girl and her team. Or tried to at least. When Yang found out - she was furious. She apparently managed to corner the leader of bully-team, Cardin Winchester, alone in some secluded spot. If his blackened eye and broken nose were any indicator - their talk went about as well as expected.

But instead of learning their lesson, they decided to retaliate - by dumping some kind of stinking gel on Yang's hair.

That day every student at Beacon accepted one, simple rule: do not mess with Yang's hair.

Jaune had no idea why they had chosen to focus on him - but he could guess. Judging team RWBY to be too hard of a target, CRDL somehow came to the conclusion that bullying their friends would be best way to get back at the all girl team. And since it was no secret that team JNPR was close friends with four girls - they were the obvious target.

It started with the occasional snarky remark, bumping into him when they passed each other in the corridors, that sort of thing. Then they started throwing things at him, as well as the taunts.

Jaune didn't know what they wanted to achieve - and didn't care. Team CRDL had gotten in trouble with the teachers quite a few times already - mostly for interrupting lessons. Yet somehow, each time they managed to convince themselves that it was not their fault - but someone else's.

Jaune shook his head to dispel these thoughts, and instead decided to do something productive - that is, to continue to stare at the clock.

_Just one minute…_

He felt as if every second took twice as long to pass as the previous one. But eventually, time passed and the lesson ended.

Like any normal teenager, Jaune threw his notes into his bag and ran out of the classroom, happy to finally be free of classes, and be able to do something fun.

Unlike any normal teenager, this didn't included going out to the city, hanging out with friends, or trying to pick up girls, but rather getting ready to go out and hunt bloodthirsty monsters with one of his teachers.

Jaune Arc was not a normal teenager after all.

The blond Hunter couldn't stop his grin when he was retrieving his gear from his locker.

_Oh, this is gonna be fun._

It was on the way to docks, where he ran into team RWBY.

"Jaune? Where are you going?" Asked Ruby, tilting her head to one side.

"I have… kind of a special assignment."

"Special assignment? With whom?"

"Profesor Port."

This was enough to cut off any further questions. The four girls looked around nervously, as if expecting the portly professor to come out of nowhere and start terrorizing them with one of his tales.

When he didn't appear, they excused themselves and made a hasty retreat. Jaune smiled and shook his head. This scene was similar to when he told his own team about his little bonus assignment.

At first they were curious, even proposed to help him out, but when they learned that it would require spending a lot of time with their Grimm Studies professor - they quickly backed off.

When he made it to bullhead docks, Professor Port was already waiting for him.

"You ready to hunt some monsters, my boy?" He greeted

"I wouldn't be here otherwise." Jaune answered with a slight smile.

"Ha! Good answer my boy. Let's go then - our prey won't hunt itself."

* * *

Jaune's foot was tapping nervously. They had been flying for about twenty minutes - and it would take them around forty more before they reached their destination. He asked the older Hunter for any details on their mark - but apparently, Port didn't have anything specific. They were supposed to meet with the overseer of the woodworker camp they were heading to, and learn more from him.

But that meant they had nothing to talk about. Well, nothing neutral. Jaune had a few questions, but wasn't sure how to ask them to not offend the older man.

"What's the matter, my boy? You look anxious."

Jaune stopped looking out of the small window, and turned to his companion. Peter Port was staring at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Well…" Jaune began and paused, looking for best way to voice his questions.

_Oh, well. I can always just ask. I doubt he will be offended by that._

"Actually sir..." he began, but stopped when Professor Port raised his hand.

"No 'sir's'. We are not here as teacher and student, but as two Hunters. No need to be so formal."

Jaune nodded and continued.

"I wanted to ask you something Peter."

"Go ahead."

"It's about what you said earlier, about combat schools not providing a good enough education. I was just wondering - is it really that bad? And if it is - why academies like Beacon don't adjust their teaching level? I mean, why would you waste your time with lessons that no one will understand anyway?"

Peter just laughed bitterly.

"If only it was so simple." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking.

"You see Jaune, the problem is that there is no unified teaching program for Hunters. combat prep schools are basically normal middle schools, with a few added lessons. People who go to such schools don't all decided to become Hunters. Some go on to Police academies, some decide to join military, others become security personnel for private companies."

"That's why these schools have to balance out their classes to accommodate to all those career choices. On top of that, such schools, while founded by the Kingdom, are usually private institutions. And as such, individual teaching policies vary greatly between schools. Some put more emphasis on teaching theory, some less. Some teach basic of first aid, others survival in the Wilds. And if that wasn't enough - they can change their policies from year to year - all depends on who Headmaster is, and who sits on the board of directors."

Peter looked lost in thought for a moment, then scoffed and shook his head.

"That's why the first week is as much an adjustment period for us teachers as much as it is for new students. We have to get an idea what the general level of education that our students are at, and then we adjust accordingly."

"Can't you just make some tests before the year starts?"

"We do. But they are not perfect. Even if we say that such test will not affect grades, students tend to try and… help the odds a bit."

Jaune laughed and shook his head.

_I guess a teacher's job isn't so easy…_

"So, how bad can it get?" He asked aloud.

Port looked at him confused, so Jaune elaborated.

"How badly unprepared can people be after combat school?"

Port was looking in distance for a few moments, then shook his head. When he looked back at Jaune his expression was somber.

"Five or six years ago, one of Vale's… 'elite' school almost entirely removed practical combat classes from their teaching program."

Jaune started at older Hunter for a few moments. Then burst out laughing.

"Yeah, that was a good one. But seriously..." Jaune paused when he noticed one small, but worrying detail.

Port was not laughing.

"That  _was_  a joke, right?"

The older Hunter didn't answer.

"Please, tell me…" Jaune sighed and hid his face in his hands. "You're not joking, are you?"

"Sadly, no."

"How could an elite school do something so stupid?"

"Because this was a school for social elites. One day a kid of someone influential got his ass kicked too hard during a spar. I don't know if this was in fact something serious, or the kid just threw a tantrum after losing, and went to daddy to cry. Daddy turned out to be influential enough to force such an idiotic teaching doctrine so that no harm would come to his precious son - be it to body, or pride."

"How did those people even passed initiation after that?"

"It's simple." Port answered with a shrug. "They didn't."

Any further talk was interrupted by the pilot announcing they are about to land.

A few moments later, they touched down in a large clearing and Jaune took in the camp. Two wooden houses, around ten or so tents, and a lot of logs drying in the sun. There were almost no defenses - only a large fence made of wood.

_Well, it's only a temporary camp. No one would bother with luxuries._ Thought Jaune.

They said their goodbyes to the pilot, and walked towards two burly men standing not far from them.

"Mr. Cobalt Grey?" Peter called out.

One of the men looked up, winced and spat to the side.

"Ya, tha Hunters who 're supposed to 'elp us?"

"Indeed we are good man! My name is Peter Port, this here is Jaune Arc."

The lumberjack just tsked and spat again.

"Then I 'ope you folks are 'etter than the last one. Said beast's dead, took the money. And now we have two of 'em instead of one."

"Don't worry sir. We are professionals. We guarantee that we will solve your problem permanently."

"Ya, sure. We will see. Anyway… take this." He said, handing a piece of paper to Port. The old Hunter unfolded it, revealing a crudely drawn map. There were drawings of few houses, and few 'x' around it, with different numbers. Some had a few notes next to them too.

"We marked spots where folks saw monster. We added directions and info on any landmarks nearby. It's not prettiest thing, but should be enough."

Peter nodded.

"Yes, indeed, this will be enough. One question - could you tell me where you saw it for the first time?"

Cobalt looked lost in thought for a few moments.

"Here is when we 'aw it for first time. Saw it my'elf, It looked like big ball of blue 'moke." The lumberjack pointed at spot farthest north from camp.

"Ball of smoke you say?" Peter asked, stroking his chin. He cast a glance to Jaune, who nodded. This sounded like one of the beginning phases of Wraith forming. If it was true, they knew where to look for their mark.

At least one of the two.

"That's very useful information. Thank you good sir."

"One more thing."

"Yes?"

"We saw the second one only once, around here." Cobalt said, pointing at one of the marks.

" 'ome folks might have been mistaken, since monster shows up only at night, but…" he trailed off.

Both Hunters just nodded. Twins could travel very far from each other, so it was not unlikely people from camp were encountering only one.

* * *

"So, what now?" Asked Jaune. They were sitting in one of the two buildings in the camp that turned out to be cafeteria.

"We have about an hour and a half until it gets dark enough for Wraith to come out. Guess its a good time to make some planning. Tell me Jaune, do you know how to flash your Aura?"

"Yeah." blond knight answered, looking at his older companion surprised. "Isn't it like a basic Aura control exercise?"

"Yes, indeed. But did you know you could use it to locate things when you can't see?"

The blond hunter blinked, and shook his head slowly.

"No…"

Peter nodded and took sip of his tea.

"It's a rather useful technique, but requires very good Aura control. It's a similar action to when you focus your Aura to block attack. But instead of focusing it on a single spot, you have to send out several bursts from your whole body at regular intervals. You can use it to locate an object that you can't normally see."

"So it's kinda like sonar?"

"That is… a rather good comparison, I'd say. Though it's not easy thing to do. Not only you have to make sure you spread your Aura evenly in all directions, and at the same speed at that, there is also the problem of the amount you expel. Too little, and you won't get good enough feedback. Too much, and you will run dry fast. It's an advanced technique that I usually teach people in their third year. Sometime earlier, if someone has especially good Aura control.

Jaune nodded.

"Well this certainly sounds useful. I guess it helps a lot when fighting in the dark?

"True. Also good against these pesky illusions. Well, that reminds me of this one time in Mistral…"

From there Peter Port started a tale of yet another of his great adventures. Jaune leaned closer, absorbing every word.

Seriously, how could anyone find such tales boring?

* * *

"Better. Now try it again. Remember - whole body my boy!"

Jaune nodded and focused. He could feel his Aura coursing through his body, strengthening and protecting it. He focused on this power, took hold of it. Then tried to push it out, like a wave.

Results were mixed. Most of his Aura come out of his hands, and shot out in a straight stream, rather than disperse in all directions like it should. While he managed to send out wave from his whole body - it wasn't a perfect dome like when Peter did it.

"Ok, that's enough. Now rest, we will be hunting soon."

Jaune nodded, and sat on a log. After around a hour, when Peter finished his tale, the young Hunter immediately asked to be taught how to use this 'Aura sonar'. While he had his own methods to deal with invisible enemies - one couldn't have enough tricks up his sleeve.

Peter was all too happy to comply, but warned that this is not something that can be learned immediately.

"I must say that your Aura control is remarkable."

Profesor Port was considering his young companion for few moments, then spoke again.

"But don't think you will be able to master this technique anytime soon. It will probably take you few weeks, maybe months before it's at the level it can be used effectively."

"I understand." Jaune answered. And then he recalled something that he meant to ask earlier.

"Hey, Peter, there is something I wanted to ask you."

"Oh?"

"During initiation, why you didn't kill the Harrowed yourself? I initially assumed you just couldn't locate it since it's true form was invisible. But with this Aura sonar of yours…"

The older Hunter humed.

"Well, two reasons. First of all - this technique is not too precise. You can tell where something is, and in what direction it is heading, but it's vague. I could tell that there was  _something_  there after I killed its material body - but it was hard to tell where exactly, or its shape. Plus range is limited, and the damn thing was fast - couldn't get a good read on it."

Jaune nodded. That made sense - if not for his Aura vision, he doubted he could take damn thing out.

"And the second reason?"

Peter just smiled.

"Isn't it obvious, my boy?" When Jaune looked at him quizzically, the old Hunter just shook his head.

"I didn't try to kill it because you were the one who encountered it first, and you didn't give up on hunting it. And it's rude to steal someone's else prey."

Jaune nodded. This might have sounded like stupid reason, but a lot of people followed it. It was part of the Code of Hunter afterall - a set of unwritten rules that almost everyone living far from the Kingdoms' safety knew.

"So, while we are at this topic, there is something I was curious about myself. How could you track down the beast? Initially, I thought you used this technique I told you about, but now it's clear to me you must have some other trick. Mind sharing it with this old man?"

Jaune smiled. Another rule from the Code - pay back your debts. If someone helped you - you should help too. If someone gave you something useful - be it tool, food, or knowledge - you should repay in kind.

"Sure I will. Before I explain, let me grab something."

It took only a moment to grab the box with his elixirs. When the older Hunter saw its contents, he raised an eyebrow.

Jaune smiled, and, with not a small amount of pride, started explaining.

* * *

"It starts to form." Said Peter Port three hours later, observing a small lake with ruined house standing next to it.

"Yeah, I can see it." Jaune answered with a nod.

Just a few moments later, the Harrowed formed fully, and both Witchers could take a good look at their prey - well at least half of it.

From this distance, someone could briefly mistake it for a woman. Though a few details, like the fact it was almost two meters tall, floating in the air, slightly see-through, had long, sharp claws and was missing half of its body were quite good indications that it was not a person.

The Harrowed floated in the place for a few moments, then started to wander aimlessly around the ruined house.

_This has to be the place it died._ Thought Jaune.

"Ok, Jaune, my boy, it's time to put this poor soul to rest. Can you see anything that you could use to track the other half?"

"Not sure. There is a lot of residual corrupted Aura around there. And it leaves a trail behind it when it moves. I guess I'll just circle around the clearing and see if I can find anything."

"Start from over there." Peter said, pointing to the east side fo clearing. Seeing his companion's questioning glance he continued.

"Look at it's hair. Normally they just float with the wind, but in the case of Twins they tend to twist towards other half."

Jaune nodded, and jumped down from the branch he was sitting on. The night was clear, but the forest was still very dark. Not that it mattered much for the young Hunter - with his Aura vision, he could see as clear as if this was a day. It took him around ten minutes to find what he was looking for - a thin trail of Aura going from clearing in vaguely east direction.

Jaune smiled and pressed on the earpiece in his right ear.

"Port?"

" _Yes?"_

"I think I found the link. Will follow it now."

" _Understood."_

Jaune broke into a light sprint. It was still early - sun set only about an hour and a half ago, but this was a race against time. The more time passed, the more Aura the Twins will be able to gather from its surroundings. The more Aura it gathers - the stronger it will be. If it gathers enough it will be able to leave its spawn area, and will start wandering around the forest.

It would be a pain to try to find it if that happened, so Jaune was running faster than he would usually allow himself in an unfamiliar forest.

Around thirty minutes later, he finally found his target. It was wandering around a small clearing, with a simple wooden cabin, that was in surprisingly good shape. It looked like it was abandoned only recently. After a brief examination, Jaune noticed big stone, with a mound of earth in front of it.

_A grave? Did someone bring a body - or at least part of it - from the other cabin, and bury it here?_

Jaune shook his head. This was not time for such thoughts. He activated his earpiece again.

"Port, I found it. It is in a small clearing with a new-looking house. There is something that looks like a grave there, but I can't get a closer look without it noticing me."."

" _Roger. Get ready to engage on my mark."_

Jaune pulled out Eclipse and started reading it with his Aura. Slowly the blade morphed, black mist surrounding his hand. Moments later, a low hum could be heard, and a blade darker than night itself was surrounded by thin glow of white light.

" _Jaune?"_

"I'm listening."

" _I'm in position. Judging by its density and size, it should start dispersing very fast after death."_

Jaune nodded to himself. This was normally a good thing - it meant there was less chance for some residual corruption to remain in the area, and cause the Harrowed to respawn.

Unfortunately, in the case of Twins, this also meant they would have to time killing both halves more precisely.

If they messed up the timing, the Harrowed would reform as a whole in one of the spots, or, in the worst case scenario, burst out in a wave of corrupted Aura that would reform  _somewhere._  Possibly in two whole. And it could take few hours, as well as few years to do so.

_Let's not fuck this up. It would be embarrassing as hell._ Thought the young Witcher, listening to his companion instructions.

" _Listen Jaune, we probably have only about two minutes before they disperse. Whoever kills first, contact the other person."_

"I understand."

" _Good. Don't hesitate to just rush it after you receive contact - its special abilities will be much weaker than a normal Wraith, you should be able to take most of them head-on. But don't be too reckless otherwise."_

Jaune smiled.  _Once teacher, always teacher, huh?_

"Got it." He said aloud, taking a few deep breaths.

" _You ready?"_

"Yes."

" _Then let us begin."_

Jaune smiled and dashed out of the woods. The Harrowed spotted him almost instantly, and with a loud screech, charged ahead.

Jaune ducked under the swipe of its claw, and slashed at its torso. The Wraith hissed and briefly turned into smoke, dashing away. The Witcher followed, scoring another hit as soon as the Harrowed formed again.

Its 'hair' lit up in a pale blue, and Jaune could feel a shiver run down his spine.

_It must have been an ice-type._ He thought, stabbing towards the Harrowed's chest. It dashed back, its bottom half turning into smoke and sinking into the earth. Jaune jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a few shadowy spears that erupted from the earth where he was standing just a moment before. He rolled, jumped to his feet, continued to run in circle, spears hot on his heels.

Just before Jaune completed a full circle, the Harrowed stopped its attack, and instead dashed forward. The blond Witcher slashed, but it turned into smoke and passed through him, running towards the house.

He followed, catching it just before it reached the wooden wall. Eclipse pierced through its back, eliciting a painted screech. The Harrowed's hair twisted, and sank into its head.

Jaune jumped back, four tentacles erupting from the Twin's body and chasing him. He sidestepped one, ducked under another, and rolled out of the way of a third. The fourth latched onto his left arm - and immediately started sucking out his Aura.

Jaune winced. He focused, on his Aura, taking hold of it and stopping the flow. This brief tug of war was interrupted when Eclipse cut through the tentacle. It erupted into smoke, and the Harrowed let out another painted howl.

The remaining three tentacles shot towards him. Jaune dashed forward, dogging two, and ignoring a third that latched onto his stomach. It couldn't hurt him in any way, as long as he didn't let it drain his Aura - and he had a firm hold on it, not only thanks to practice, but also his Semblance.

More spears shot towards him, but he continued forward. He swung Eclipse in a wide arc, cutting most of them down. They shattered, turning into smoke - but more formed, some of them going past his guard.

Those impacted Aura, hardened with his Semblance into an impregnable wall.

The Harrowed rose about one meter in the air and pulled its head back, its body emitting a soft glow.

Jaune ignored urge to turn around and cover his ears.

That would be grave mistake when facing a regular Wraith - but instead of releasing a powerful wave of sound and light that would leave its prey stunned and disoriented, the Twin managed to let out only a brief flash of soft light and a loud screech.

Eclipse removed its head a second later, before impaling its chest yet again. This time, the Harrowed had no answer, and the Witcher pushed his sword deeper, pumping more Aura into his blade.

There was a sound like shattering ice, and wave of shadow erupted from the Harrowed.

" _I am guide for Damned…"_

* * *

Jaune felt cold. Impossibly cold, like there was no shred of warmth left in his body. And it was not only physical warmth - it was like he lost all hope. What was the point in doing anything? He would just fail again.

What was the point in helping people? They would just use him.

What was the point in having friends? They would just abandon him.

What was the point in living? He/ _she_ would just die anyway.

Alone. Cold. Hungry. Lonely. So lonely. With no one to rely on, no one to help her when she was alone and cold. What was point in struggling to live on? She could just disappear and no one would notice. And if they did? They would probably be happy that she was finally gone.

It would be nice to feel warm one last time tough. Just a tiny little bit would do.

* * *

It took him a good few minutes to be able to stand up. Even then, he was shaking violently, his teeth clattering. He staggered towards the stone he noticed earlier - and true enough it was a grave. He could barely make out the name and date of death - over ten years ago.

" _Jaune? Are you alright?"_

He took a deep breath before answering.

"Yeah. Rebound hit me hard, needed a few moments to get a hold of myself."

There were a few moments of silence.

" _How?"_

"She died from hunger or froze to death - not sure which one, possibly both."

" _Alone, cold and hungry. No one should die like that."_ Jaune could almost see old hunter shake his head somberly.

Jaune kneeled, taking closer look at epitaph engraved on stone.

"At least she was not forgotten."

" _That's good to for any other possible sources of corruption, I'll do the same on my side. Then head back to camp, we will meet there."_

"Roger."

Jaune ended the transmission, and walked towards the house. It wasn't big, and there was little in terms of furniture. It didn't take him long to check the whole place - and besides one photo he didn't find anything interesting.

* * *

When he reached camp, Port was already there talking with Cobalt.

"..one?"

"Yes. But I say it again - do  _not_  take anything from either house. Best thing would be to burn both down."

The woodcutter nodded few times, stroking his chin.

"I guess ya right. No folks would wanna sleep in a haunted house anyway."

He spared a single glance at Jaune

"Or one that  _used_  to be haunted." He added. His tone clearly indicated that he was not convinced the Harrowed was dealt with, but was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Jaune shared a look with Port, and both just shrugged. They bid farewell to Cobalt and walked to the tent he pointed out. They left their things inside, and started a small campfire. A few people looked at them strangely, some pointing out there was a perfectly fine cafeteria just a few steps away.

They just didn't understand.

Port disappeared inside the tent for a few moments, then walked out with a thermos in hand. He filled two metal cups with its content - black tea judging by the smell.

He handed one to Jaune, and took a long sip form other. He then sat on the log they dragged in front of their tent earlier and let out long, satisfied sigh.

Jaune joined him, and took a tentative sip from his own cup. He held the warm liquid in his mouth, judging taste.

"Whisky?" He asked finally.

Port looked at him with surprise, then smiled and nodded.

"It is, my boy. How could you tell? I purposefully added less than usual, seeing as you are underaged."

"Leon - Hunter that was training me - used it often when he prepared Camp Tea for me. That or vodka. Was always saying that if he has to give alcohol to the underaged, he could at least give them something good."

"Ha! I already like this Leon." He took another sip.

"But there is one more thing you can add to make it taste even better."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

Jaune smiled. It was his turn to go inside the tent. When he walked out, he was holding a plain glass bottle, with some dark liquid inside. He opened it, and poured a bit inside his cup. He raised the bottle towards the older Hunter, a question in his eyes.

After a moment of hesitation, Port offered his cup. Jaune smiled and poured a bit of the dark, syrupy liquid.

"Hmmm. Is it... Black elderberry? And something else…"

"Cherry."

Port took another sip, and held it in his mouth for a moment before swallowing.

"I must admit, it really tastes good."

Jaune hummed in agreement.

They spent a few moments just staring at the fire, sipping their teas.

"Jaune?" Peter said finally.

"Yeah?"

"Since you know about Camp Tea, I'm sure you knows what comes next?" He said, his voice serious.

"Of course." The blond answered. He took one more sip, and mused for a few moments. He smiled when one particular memory came to mind.

"So, me and Leon were on this escort job in Mistral…"

He might not be able to mach the older Hunter - but he had a few stories of his own.

* * *

**And that wraps up this week chapter. It's shorter than usual, and I briefly considered adding some more text, but it felt forced. As it is, ch 10 in focused solely on Jaune's first proper hunt since joining Beacon - and I liked it.**

* * *

**The Bag**

She watched from her place on his bed as he wandered around the room, collecting various odds and ends that he'd need for his journey and placing it in the bag.

That bag.

She didn't know she could hate an inanimate object so much.

Each item placed in the bag, each pocket filled, was a promise.

A promise that he'd be leaving soon.

The bag continued to betray her as it started to reach the brim, Jaune nodding in silent approval of his work.

She'd thought about hiding something, to delay the process even a little…but it wouldn't have stopped him, he wanted this too much, he NEEDED this too much.

It didn't stop it from hurting.

She had to be strong.

"Almost ready to go save the world?"

He turned and smiled back at her. "Yeah, I think so."

They sat in silence for a few moments, each realizing what this meant.

"You're going to write me, right?"

"Every chance I get." He promised.

"You better."

She pushed off the bed and walked over to the boy, looking up into his eyes.

She threw her arms around him. "I'm going to miss you, you dummy."

He gently stroked her hair. "I'm going to miss you too brat. I'll be back before you know it."

She squeezed him tighter, no longer able to hold back the tears.

"You promise?"

He squeezed her back.

"I promise."


	12. A Little Friendly Violence

**Here we go with next chapter. JJD made this readable.**

* * *

**CH 11**

"So… are you really going to eat all of that?" Asked Yang, looking warily at the mountain of food that her fellow blonde brought over.

Jaune looked up at her, then down at his tray, and back at her.

"Well.. yeah. I'm a big boy, and I need my nurishment."

"If you say so…"

Jaune smiled and focused on his breakfast. When he was almost done, Ruby called up to him.

"So.. how did your special assignment go?"

He looked up at his fellow team leader, swallowing the last bit of his breakfast.

"Yeah, I heard you came back pretty late. Some people were getting worried about you…" Yang cut in, smirking at him.

Next to him, Pyrrha suddenly become very interested in her empty tray.

"I'd say I came back quite early, rather than late. It was only an hour or so until dawn when we got back to Beacon. As for the assignment - it went very well, I'd say. We took down our prey, and I learned a few things."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say." Yang shook her head. Then her eyes narrowed.

"You aren't going to try and use your sleepless night as excuse to not show up on our date?"

It took Jaune a few seconds to realize what she was talking about.

"If you mean the joint training session we agreed on, then no, I'm not going to miss it."

"Good to hear. I kinda want to see what you are made of." Yang's gaze shifted to Pyrrha. "And get a crack at miss Champion over there. What do you say, P-money. Wanna go a few rounds?"

Pyrrha smirked and nodded.

"With pleasure."

"Anyway, where is Weiss? Haven't seen her today?" Asked Jaune looking over cafeteria.

"She said she had some 'family business' to attend to, and went to Vale as soon as she woke up." Answered Blake form over her book.

"Family business? Is it something serious?" Asked Pyrrha.

"I don't know. She received a call yesterday evening. Apparently her father wanted to talk with her. She didn't look too nervous though, so I don't think it's anything bad."

_Jacques decided to call? Why do I have the feeling it's not to ask how his daughter is doing…_ Jaune thought with scowl. Yang noticed it and raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong Ladykiller? Sad your Ice Princess is not here?"

"No. Just feel sorry for her that she has to deal with her father first thing Saturday morning."

"Why? Do they not get along?" Asked Ruby.

"Yeah, kind of. Mostly because her old man is an asshole, and that is putting it lightly."

"Wow. You really don't like him, huh? Is there some story behind that?" Yang asked, shaking her head.

"Yeah, kinda. But since it involves Weiss' family, it's not really my tale to tell."

"Really? Well that's a shame." Said Yang, letting the subject go. Instead, she looked over to the two empty seats next to Jaune - where Nora and Ren usually sat.

"So, if we're talking about missing people. Where did our love birds go?"

"Nora wanted to go to Vale to buy a few things. Ren tagged along."

Yang snorted.

"I guess he didn't have too much say in the matter?"

"No, he didn't."

They finished their breakfasts and left cafeteria chatting on the way. This was interrupted when Jaune's scroll started ringing. He opened it up and smiled when he saw who was calling.

"Sorry guys, have to take this." He said accepting call.

"Hey, Mei… Nah, it was fine…. Yes… Yes, of course… Mei, please… Ok. sure… Really?! That's great…. Next Saturday? Sure I'll be there…. I love you too… Bye." He ended the call and pocketed his scroll.

An arm wrapped around his shoulders. He looked to the side at a grinning Yang.

"Well, well, well. Care to tell us who this Mei is? And why you set a date with her, instead of any of the four beautiful Huntresses right next to you?"

Jaune shot her a deadpan glare.

"She is my grandmother. Called to say that my parents and sisters are going to visit her next weekend."

Yang tsked and let him go.

"You are no fun. No fun at all."

Jaune just shrugged.

"Sure, whatever you say. Anyway, I'm going to Vale, need to buy few things. Wanna tag along?"

Yang raised eyebrow.

"Haven't you been out earlier this week?"

"Yeah, but it was interrupted. Had to run from Pyrrha's crazy fans."

Yang laughed at that.

"Oh, I heard about that. Or rather saw." She turn and nudged the red haired champion in the arm.

"You know, P-money, they call me troublemaker, but I never caused a riot just by going out in the city." she said, shaking her head.

"I wouldn't call it a riot… there were just a few people, running around Vale, trying to find us. Nothing big." Jaune said shrugging.

Blake looked up from over her book.

"Jaune… It was all over evening news. There were like, three hundred people there…"

"Pfft, yeah right. News channels always blow things out of proportion. Someone will see a lone Beowolf, and they call it an invasion and end of the known civilization."

"We kinda saw footage…. There really were a lot of people there..." Ruby interjected.

Jaune opened his mouth to respond, paused for a moment, then just shrugged.

"Well, whatever. Not that any of it matters."

They paused when they reached the intersection of corridors.

"So I'll ask again. Any of you want to go with me to Vale?"

Yang looked like she might agree, but then just shook her head.

"Well, I would love to, but I think we will hit library first." She wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders. "We still have some homework to do, better to have it done as fast as possible before Weiss starts nagging."

Ruby whimpered, but didn't protest when her sister started to drag her away.

"What about you two?" Jaune asked, turning towards the last two girls.

"I think I'll join Ruby and Yang. It's better if I don't show up in Value for a few days."

Jaune just nodded. As much as he hated to admit it - his partner was right. Her showing up in Vale now was bound to cause uproar. There was even a few instances of people trying to sneak their way into Beacon.

"I think I'll just use this chance to read in peace. Our room is usually too noisy for that." Said Blake when Jaune turned to her. He smiled and shook his head.

"Well, be glad you are not on the same team as Nora. She brings 'energetic' to whole new level."

The black haired girl smirked.

"I know. And I'm happy I don't have to share a room with her."

Jaune smiled and started walking towards Beacon's airport. He briefly considered postponing his 'supply run' and joining Pyrrha in library, but decided against it. It was almost time for him to make a new batch of Elixirs, and he would like to start experimenting soon too.

_Ok Vale, here I come. Let's hope nothing too crazy happens this time._

* * *

Jaune was walking down familiar street, a decently sized bag in his hand.

_I have most of things I need. Only thing left is to grab some herbs._

He paused when he noticed one particular shop. He always passed by this one, since it didn't sell anything he would need. Or that was what he thought. After his last training session with his team, he realized how different fighting people who have both Aura and training is than fighting Grimm or bandits. So maybe an addition to his arsenal would be welcome.

_Might as well take a look. Maybe I'll find something for myself._

With a shrug he entered the weapon shop. There were tons of different tools of destruction hanging from the walls - form simple knives and swords to complicated mecha-shifting weapons.

_Now, what would I need? Probably something small, with a big mag so I can just keep shooting and keep whoever I'm fighting distracted when I close the distance._

He passed several stalls with larger guns, some of them kind of reminding him of Milo in its gun form

_I believe this is called a hunting rifle?_

He thought, picking one up. He looked it over, then put it back.

_No point in wasting time looking over something I won't use anyway._

He walked further into shop, and finally found what he was looking for - the handguns section. There were quite a few there to choose from. Jaune looked them over, picked a few that caught his eye to take closer look, but put them all away.

_This is pointless. I know nothing about guns, wouldn't be able to tell a good one from a bad one even if my life depended on it._

He briefly considered asking the clerk for advice, but discarded the idea. There was good chance he would try to sell him anything, just to earn some cash. Of course he might turn out to be professional, and give him good advice, but Jaune preferred to not take any chances. Afterall, it was not like he didn't have anyone he could ask for help.

_Well, no one said I have to pick a gun. Maybe something like throwing knifes would be a good idea?_

He shook his head. Later he would ask for help from someone who knew more about firearms than himself. Which shouldn't be hard. Not only was his own knowledge basic at best, he was now surrounded by people who used them on a daily basis.

He left the store and headed to the last shop he intended to visit. As soon as he passed the door, the familiar scent of herbs hit his nose. Jaune took a deep breath, smiling. Something about this smell made him relax.

He wandered around the shop for a few moments, before pausing, when he caught sight of familiar faces.

_What are they doing here?_

He thought, making his way towards the two people at counter.

"Hi guys. Fancy meeting you here."

Ren and Nora turned around, both smiling when they saw him.

"Hello Jaune." The black haired boy nodded to him.

Blond boy looked at many different packs lying on counter.

"That's all yours?" he asked taking closer look.

"Yes." Ren answered with a nod. "I used to dabble in herbalism myself, and after hearing you talk about your Elixirs I thought I might try to return to it."

"Oh, really?" Jaune considered his teammate for a moment. "You know, I'm going to make some bases for my Elixirs, and I was thinking about starting to experiment with new ones. Want to help me out?"

Ren looked uncertain.

"I'm not sure if that is a good idea. The most complicated things I ever made were some simple medicines, or herbal teas. Nothing nearly as complicated as your Elixirs."

Jaune just shook his head.

"It's fine. I started with medicines too, and Elixirs are not that different. It's just matter of the right mix of herbs and dust. Worst case scenario you could give me a second opinion."

After a moment of consideration, Ren nodded.

"If you say so. I must say I'm quite intrigued to learn how you make them."

Jaune smiled and nodded.

"Ok, give me a moment to grab what I need." He paused for a moment and looked around. It was rather small shop, with them being only customers.

Jaune could feel his growing anxiety.

"Ren…" The black haired boy finished packing what he bought and looked at him. "Where is Nora? She was there just a moment before and…"

Ren was already gone, door slamming shut behind him.

Jaune considered his options for a moment. Then quickly grabbed what he needed, paid and followed his teammate.

He had a feeling that leaving Nora unsupervised was not a good idea.

* * *

They found her only ten or so minutes later, in nearby park. She was surrounded by several very excited children. Nora didn't seem to mind - quite the opposite. She was playing with them with big smile on her face.

Ren and Jaune, content to know no disaster would happen, sat at a nearby bench and relaxed.

"She seems to enjoy it." The blond Hunter said after few moments of silence.

His companion nodded, a found smile on his face.

"Nora was always good with children. Even way back when we were still living in sister's Martha orphanage, she was always taking care of younger kids."

Jaune just hummed.

"We should probably get moving soon." Ren said after around ten minutes. "Our spar with team RWBY will be starting soon, and Nora will not forgive us if we're late for that."

Jaune laughed.

"Oh I can imagine."

Prying Nora off the children proven to be far more difficult task than Jaune expected. Not least because she herself didn't want to go. But the prospect of free violence convinced her to come back to Beacon.

* * *

Pyrrha wasn't sure what to make out of what she was seeing. Her teammates returned from Vale just a few minutes ago and were now unpacking the supplies they brought.

Ren bough ammo, some Dust, and what looked to be packed herbs. The first two were normal things for Hunter's to buy. Herbs were unexpected, but judging by his and Jaune's talk, her teammate had some experience with herbalism. And apparently they planned to work on Jaune's Elixirs together.

She briefly considered offering her assistance too, but discarded the idea. The closest she ever had come to working with herbal products were one or two commercials she took part in. Pyrrha somehow doubts this was enough to help with making something as complicated as Jaune's Elixirs.

Speaking of which - her partners shopping list included far more items than Ren's - and it was that what made Pyrrha confused - and curious.

Dust and herbs were expected. The hammer and bag of nails less so, but she supposed they could come handy if something needs fixing.

What was unexpected was a sewing kit, and roll of blue material. That was not something a Hunter would usually buy.

She briefly considered asking him - but Nora beat her to it.

"Oh, what is this for? Are you going to sew something? What's it gonna be?" She asked, leaning over his shoulder.

Jaune, who was currently scribbling something in his notepad, paused and looked up at his ginger teammate.

"Yeah, a dress."

There were a few moments of stunned silence. Then Nora grinned.

"Ooooooooh! For whom? Your girlfriend?"

Pyrrha did  _not_ tense up at the question.

"Nah." Jaune laughed. "It's for my sister. I couldn't make it home for her birthday, and I promised that if I missed it, she can ask for whatever she wants an apology. She wanted a dress, so she will get a dress."

Pyrrha relaxed, and found a smile on her lips. They had known each other for only about a week, but it was clear to everyone in team JNPR that they leader had soft spot for his family.

"So you gonna learn how to sew, just because your sister asked for a dress? That is very nice of you Jaune." She praised.

Her partner laughed again.

"Nah, I actually know how to sew. Made my fair share of dresses too - everyone of my sisters, and even my mother has at least one made by me."

There was another stunned silence. Then Pyrrha made a decision.

_Yang can NEVER learn about this._

Jaune continued to scribble something in his notepad, and rest of them went about their own business. About thirty minutes later, Ren called out to them.

"I think it's time for us to get going. We don't want to keep team RWBY waiting, do we?"

They all nodded and left the room.

* * *

"Go Yang! You can do it!" Ruby cheered.

Yang smirked and threw a few more punches. Most of them impacted shield, but two hit the boy holding it. Not that it did much.

She jumped back a few steps and fired a few shots at her opponent. He jumped back, then to the side, avoiding the few that went low, and took rest on his shield. Jaune Arc didn't appear too bothered by the assault - just like everything she threw up till now.

A quick glance to display screen revealed that yes, she took out some of his Aura - almost fifty percent, while she had lost only thirty-five.

This would sound good, if not for the fact they fought for  _five-fucking-minutes_  already _._

Just thinking about it made her eyes flash red, but she forced herself to stay calm. Yang was used to quick matches, that were blur of movement. Constant dashes in and out, throwing attack after attack, and hoping to overpower your enemy before he overpowered you. Contest of speed and strength - that was how she fought, how just about everyone she knew fought.

But not Jaune Arc - he prefered to defend, to wait until his opponent made a mistake, or tired out. She had faced a few defensive fighters, and was always able to break through their guard with her relentless assault, but the blond boy in front of her had three advantages over everyone she fought up till now: a giant Aura pool, some super high-tech armor, and a shield.

_Fuck that shield._

She fired a few more shots - but most of them impacted on the offending piece of metal. The few that hit his exposed legs did next to no damage.

_And fuck that armor too. I wish Ruby would have said something about it's weak points instead of just gushing about how cool it is._

She sighed and dashed back into the melee. She threw two quick jabs that he blocked, and then followed with low kick. His leg buckled under him, and it looked like he might fall.

Yang instantly jumped back.

_Oh no Lady Killer, I'm not falling for that again._

The first thing she learned about her opponent - other than his shield was not just for show - was that he was a counter fighter. As soon as the fight started she opened with a few shots to test him - her usual tactic. Jaune easily blocked them and started walking towards her. Not running, not jumping, just steadily walking.

She engaged in melee hoping she would be able to overpower him. Unfortunately, most of her hits were blocked, the few that went past his defense were stopped by his armor. And then, when she though she and him off balance and vulnerable, it turned out he is just baiting her.

She winced. Stab to stomach followed by shield bash to the face didn't do much in terms of damage - but it seriously hurt her pride.

With a tired sigh, she charged in again, threw three quick punches and taking one quick slash. She kicked the bottom of his shield, and it moved it out of way for just a moment. She quickly capitalized by striking toward Jaune's face.

She took slash to the side for that - but that was ok.

_Just a bit more…_ she thought, jumping back.

Yang took a few deep breaths and eyed her opponent. His strikes weren't too strong - and paradoxically this worked in his favor. Weaker strikes meant her Semblance charged slower.

She glanced at the display. Both of them lost two percent of Aura in the last exchange. This meant she would win if she kept this up. The problem was she wasn't sure she could. She was beginning to feel tired. Jaune didn't look nearly as winded as she - but maybe he was just hiding it.

_This is taking too long. I need to make him do something reckless._

She already tried to provoke him, throwing verbal jabs alongside physical ones, but Jaune ignored them all.

_Let's try something different._

Yang backed few more steps and struck provocative pose, one finger on her lips that stretched in smile that she knew would make any boy start to fantasize.

"Come on Lady Killer. Don't you want to get close to me?" She said with sultry voice, trailing a finger down from her lips towards her cleavage.

Jaune didn't react in the slightest. He just continued to walk towards her at the same steady peace.

Yang scoffed and got into her own stance. This was another thing she learned quite fast - Jaune was totally different in the arena than he was normally. Gone was the awkward, slightly dorky teenager that was an oh so easy target to tease. Steady and focused - those were the words she would use to describe him. He didn't react to her taunts, he didn't took any of her baits, and his strikes, even though not strong or fast, usually hit the mark. And when she created some distance he would just walk towards her neither slow, nor fast. Steady.

She found this a little creepy.

With little else to do, Yang charged again, threw few punches and kicks and retreated. Most of her attacks were blocked but like usual one or two slipped by Jaune's defenses. She earned two hits this time, but they were glancing blows. After a moment to catch her breath she dashed in agin.

Two punches towards his head were easily blocked, but by raising his hield Jaune left his lower body vulnerable, She quickly took advantage of it by throwing middle kic. It connected - but didn't do as much damage as she hoped.

_Fuck this armor._

She sidestepped his thrust, and scores first clean hit on his head in a while. Jaune recoiled, but managed to raise his shield in time to block follow up attack.

_Fuck this shield_

She saw incoming counter - horizontal slash towards her ribs, but ignored it. Like every hit before it lacked power to be too threatening, and it left him temporarily open. She quickly took advantage of it, scoring clear hit on his shoulder, and then throwing low kick. It staggered him only a little, and he retaliated with shield bash.

It didn't hurt much, but staggered her, and left open for follow up slash that hit her shoulder. She winced and threw left hook. He took it on his shield, and retaliated with another stab. She ignored it, and instead threw punch at his midriff.

Jaune tried to counter with another shield bash, but she stepped back out of range. Then she jumped even further back, and eyed her opponent.

For quite some time she had this feeling that there was something wrong, and now she was sure. With how open she left herself in the last exchange, Jaune should be able to do some good damage to her, but that was not the case. Sure, she got hit more than usual, but he didn't took advantage of all openings.

_It's almost as if he is baiting me into something._

Her eyes narrowed. What were his semblance again? She could recall Nora talking about it, but all she got from it was that he could manipulate his Aura easier. It didn't exactly told her much. On the other hand he knew how her worked - courtesy of Ruby. She wasn't bothered by it too much. After all her Semblance was fairly simple - even if her opponent knew how it worked, there was little he could do to stop her from activating it, beside not hitting her. Or taking her down before she had chance to use it. This never happened so far - but it was possibility.

_His attacks are far too weak for Hunter. He wouldn't be able to deal any serious damage to any Grimm with hits like that, and Pyrrha said he could early cleave through Bewolfs during initiation. So he holds back on purpose. But why?_

She considered it for a moment - and answer wasn't really hard to figure out.

_Since he knows how my Semblance works, and he is not very mobile, he probably wants to prevent me from activating it. So he don't strike at full power to make himself look like less of a threat and make me careless. He probably wanted to bring me low enough to take out all of my remaining aura in one quick exchange_

She grinned.

_Not bad plan Ladykiller. Not bad at all._

Yang glanced towards display screen. She was around fifty, Jaune was hovering near forty. She was still winning, but gap was slowly closing.

Her grin only widened.

_Ok, it should be enough. Lets see if you can handle my all, Ladykiller._

She looked at him - he noticed her grin, and stopped his advance, instead taking low stance and eyeing her warily.

"Well, what I can say Ladykiller. You lasted far longer than any boy I played with." She rolled her head and shoulders. Jaune raised his shield, staying alert.

"But I think it's time we end this. There are other people waiting for their turn you know."

She grinned, her eyes flashing red.

"So now," she pointed finger at him. "You are,'" she took her stance and clenched her fist, "Going." Her Semblance activated, washing arena in golden flames. She could hear Ruby, and to her surprise Nora, cheering loudly. Her grin almost split her face in two.

"DOWN!" She roared and charged at other blond.

First strike hit the shield, but the force of the blow was too much and it was knocked aside.

Jaune tried to retaliate, but she caught his sword by the blade, cocked back her right hand back and smirked.

To her surprise Jaune closed his eyes - and smirked too.

Most civilians thought that Aura was some kind of solid forcefield that blocked all incoming attacks. This was not true - not only did it require some amount of control to use effectively, it also didn't block attacks, only dispersed the force of the blows. That's why Aura users still felt pain when hit, and still would get blown away when hit by a strong attack. So, unlike what many movies and novels said, punching Hunter don't feel like hitting a brick wall.

But Yang certainly felt like she just punched one when her fist hit something that should be, but definitely wasn't, Jaune Arc's face. Pain raced through her hand, making her stagger back, and flash of bright white light that blinded her didn't help at all.

_That sonuvabitch!_

Soon though, that was the least of her worries. Something, that she was fairly certain was Jaune's shield, slammed into her stomach, but with far more force than she expected. Another blow soon followed, and it too was much stronger than any she received before. She tried to regain her balance, but Jaune wouldn't let her.

She eventually managed to put some distance between them by firing from both of her gauntlets. She spared a quick glance at display screen. They were both at around thirty seven percent.

_This bastard, he WANTED me to use my Semblance!_

She looked at her opponent - he was grinning at her - a vicious,  _feral_  smile that brought to mind a predator baring its teeth at it's prey.

Yang mirrored his grin.

They both dashed forward, meeting in a flurry of blows. It was by far most intense exchange in their whole match, but it lasted only a few seconds.

"Stop! Jaune Arc wins!" Ren exclaimed.

Both combatants stopped and looked at display. Yang dropped barely below thirty percent, while Jaune was around thirty three.

"Good fight." Said the blond hunter, extending his hand.

Yang smiled and took it.

"Yeah. You won this one, but next time you are going down Ladykiller."

Jaune laughed.

"If you say so."

They returned to the stands. Ruby was already waiting for them.

_Oh good, sweet Ruby, ready to cheer her sister up._ Thought Yang, watching as the little red huntress rushed towards them. She spread her arms, ready for an incoming hug.

"Hey Rub…" was all she managed to say before red blur moved past her and stopped in front of the blond knight.

"That was SO. AWESOME! No one ever was able to take hit from Yang like that! And what was the white light? It was your Semblance, right? Right?!"

Yang looked at her sweet, lovely sister, jumping excitedly around the guy who just beat her up.

_Life is so unfair._  She though with a pout.

_Then again, Rubes makes good point. What the hell did he do at the end?_

"I would like to know too, Jaune. You haven't used anything like that when we were sparring." Said Pyrrha.

"You didn't hold back, did you?" She asked with hint of hurt in her voice.

Jaune laughed nervously.

"No, nothing like that. It's just little trick with my Semblance I discovered some time ago. I can harden my Aura to make it more solid. Sort of like a wall. But I can't control it too well - it last only a moment, and I need to focus for a few seconds to make it. So it works only when I know when and where attack will come."

"And the white light?" Asked Blake.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. I think it might be my Aura flashing out, since there is a lot of it concentrated in one spot. But I don't know for sure."

"Sooooooo… You want to tell me that you not only have lots of stamina and a big… Aura pool, but your Semblance can make you extra hard?" Yang asked, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

Jaune blushed slightly when something very soft pressed against his back.

"Y-yeah." He stammered.

Yang grinned, then leaned closer.

"Well, Ladykiller, I think we should get to know each other more…" she purred into his ear.

Jaune stiffened, and blushed eve harder.

"Y-Yang stop that."

The blond brawler grinned.

"You sure you want me to stop, Jaune?" She asked, but let him go. Better to not push her luck - Pyrrha was already glaring at her.

"Don't worry Dork-knight, I'm just messing with you. Beside…" she winked at red haired champion. " I think there is someone who wants a piece of you more than me."

To her delight, Pyrrha blushed and looked to the side.

_Bingo. Oh, I'm going to have fun with these two dorks._

"Ok, last fight - Weiss vs Nora. Get ready ladies." Jaune called out, a little louder than necessary.

* * *

"Don't worry Weiss, I won't break your legs… too much." Said Nora, grinning at her opponent.

"Well, thank you Nora. I'll be sure to find you a nice spot after I turn you into ice sculpture" The heiress answered with a smirk.

"You both ready?" Shouted Jaune

They nodded.

"Then begin!"

Both girls dashed at the same time. Nora forward, Magnhild ready for strike.

Weiss backward, erecting several walls of ice in the way of the ginger berserker.

Nora jumped over the first, then the second, and then ran through the third. Weiss shot several ice blades at her - but they were easily swated aside. Nora charged again, swinging Magnhild in a wide arc.

Weiss created a glyph and jumped back. Nora followed after her, swinging her hammer. It was easy to dodge, but at the same time, forced the heiress to focus on this - she simply didn't have time to stop and use her Semblance, lest she will be hit the massive weapon. She eventually managed to create some distance and created another glyph. Nora took a wide swing and smashed into it - and was blown away.

Weiss didn't waste a second and sent a barrage of Dust attacks at the downed girl. Nora rolled away and got to her feet pretty quickly - but still got hit by quite a few. The heiress kept up her assault, and the ginger girl could do little more than dodge. Eventually, she found cover behind one of Weiss' own ice walls.

The heiress winced, and dashed around, hoping to catch Nora from behind. But as soon as she moved past the wall, she threw herself in a frantic dodge, narrowly avoiding the pink explosion that erupted in the spot she was just second ago. Nora jumped on top of the ice wall that served her as a cover, and continued her barrage, laughing maniacally the whole time.

Eventually the ginger girl ran out of ammo. But instead of reloading, she switched Magnhild back to hammer form and jumped down.

Weiss got up from where the last explosion threw her, and dusted herself off.

Both girls stared at each other for a few moments.

Then they dashed forward, Nora opening with a horizontal swing of her hammer, that Weiss ducked under and countered with a stab on her own. It was blocked by the handle of Magnhild, and immediately followed with a downward swing, that the heiress had to roll out of the way of. The ginger girl followed, bringing her hammer down yet again, but Weiss managed to get back to her feet and jumped back few steps. She created a glyph under her feet, and the moment before Nora's hammer reached her, jumped high in the air.

Nora followed her, but let out a surprised yelp when she slammed into the glyph. Many more surrounded her soon after, and Weiss, using them as jumping pads, started to zip past Nora, slashing and stabbing at her each time she passed by.

The ginger girl could do little more than try to block as many attacks as she could. Eventually, the number of active glyphs started to dwindle - and so did the possible angles of attacks for heiress. This allowed Nora to better defend herself - and even throw counter attacks. She overshot her target, but even though the head of her hammer missed its mark, the handle hit the heiress hard enough to throw her to the ground. She landed soon after, and leaned on Magnhild for support, panting heavily.

Weiss was in no better state, kneeling on one knee, her breath ragged. After just a few moments both girls readied they weapons and started walking to each other. It was clear it would be last exchange - both of them were too exhausted to be able to fight for much longer.

They stopped about ten meters from each other, eyeing each other carefully. Then, on some unspoken command, both dashed forward.

Weiss ducked under horizontal sweep of Magnhild, and Nora used the haft of her weapon to knock Myrtenaster aside. Heiress sidestepped the follow up thrust, and answered with one of her own. Nora managed to dodge it, and responded with an upward swing. Weiss jumped back at the last second. She tried to go back inside the ginger girl's guard - but had to retreat from another wide swing.

Weiss jumped back, when Nora brought her hammer down on her, and then again when ginger girl tried to tackle her. She ducked under the next swipe, and countered with a thrust towards her opponent leg. It hit its mark, and Nora staggered a little. The heiress quickly took advantage of this opening, throwing two more thrust. Both hit their mark - but left her open for a counter.

Nora drove the back end of Magnhild handle into the heiress stomach, knocking the air out of her. Her muscle tensed, ready to follow with an overhead smash.

Weiss knew she couldn't' dodge in time. So instead, she threw herself forward, throwing one last, desperate attack.

"Stop! The match is over, Weiss Schnee wins!" Jaune declared.

Both girls froze. Weiss was kneeling on one knee, one hand on the ground supporting her, and other outstretched, pressing Magnhild into her opponent torso.

Nora, with hammer stopped mid-swing.

They looked at each other, then at Jaune, and then at display screen.

Indeed, Nora dropped below thirty, while Weiss was still around forty.

Both girls looked at each other again, and after a second collapsed on the floor.

"Daaaaaaaaamn I'm spent. I'll need like a hundred pancakes after this. And I didn't even get to break any legs. Life is so unfair, right Weiss? " Nora whined.

The heiress felt like pointing out it was her legs they were talking about - but decided against it. Arguing with Nora was about as productive as trying to negotiate with Grimm.

"And that concludes the first JNPR vs RWBy tournament. " Announced Jaune when both girls joined the teams.

"With two wins and two losses for each team, we have draw."

"Only because you have Pyrrha." Ruby said with a pout.

"You are just mad because you lost in thirty seconds." Jaune retorted.

"Hey, that was lucky shot! And beside, first fight should be leader vs leader! You cheated!"

"Everything is fair in war and love."

"I would have won if it was you." Ruby mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Probably." Jaune admitted, "but then Pyrrha would just kick Yang butt, and we would still have draw."

Yang felt like arguing, but let it go. She knew she was good, and was confident she could take on just about anyone they age. Problem was that Pyrrha wasn't anyone.

Ruby huffed.

"Well, at least we have better ninja than you. Blake  _destroyed_ Ren."

Black haired girl smiled and shook her head. Her fight against green clad boy was much closer than her leader made it sound - and she won so decisively only because of her Semblance. She had a feeling they next fight will not be as easy.

Jaune just shook his head and checked his scroll nodding to himself.

"We still have half an hour from our reserved time, So I guess we can do some more training. Any suggestion?"

"I think we could work on your offensive some more Jaune. You did well against Yang, but I noticed few things you could improve."

The blond leader nodded at his partner's words.

"I guess you are right Pyrrha."

He picked his weapons and started to walk towards the arena, both teams in tow.

Yang leaned towards red-haired champion and wisphered with smirk

"You just want to see for yourself how hard he can get, don't you?"

Pyrrha instantly blushed and satter denying.

Yang's grin only grew

_Oh, she is so easy..._

* * *

Blake took few gulps of energy drink and relaxed on the bench. She just finished sparring with her partner, and now both of them were sitting together, watching the other pairs train. Or rather pair - Jaune and Pyrrha were only ones still going.

"You know, I'm surprised they still have energy to go on." She said.

Yang hummed in agreement.

"Yeah. I can kinda understand Pyrrha - she isn't moving too much. But Jaune? From what I saw he is not used to running around like that."

Blake nodded and focused back on the fighting pair. Well, it could hardly be called a fight - Pyrrha was just standing in one place and defending, and Jaune was charging at her. The whole point of their little exercise was to make blond knight get used to a more mobile fighting style.

She watched as Jaune charged, then rolled under Pyrrha's strike, and used the momentum to get up and strike at his partner back. Of course, the red haired champion blocked his attack with ease, but Blake was still impressed. Jaune was far more agile than she would expect from someone wearing so much armor. Of course he was nowhere near her level, or even Yang's or Nora's, but still pretty good.

The blond knight continued his charges, and Pyrrha continued to defend, shouting instructions and encouragements.

"Good, Jaune, but you have to do it harder!"

"You sure? I don't want to hurt you…"

"I can take it. Just give me everything you got."

"Pyrrha I'm at my limit…"

"Just a little more Jaune! Keep it up."

Blake shook her head and turned to her partner.

"Do you think they know that what they are saying can be taken wildly out of context?"

The blonde girl hummed

"I don't think so. They are too adorkable."

A few moments passed, with the only sound being clang of weapons, and fighting pair shouts.

"You are still going to tease them to high havens about this, aren't you?" Blake finally asked.

Yang grinned at her.

"And why do you think I'm recording this sound-only?"

Blake snorted and shook her head. What was she even thinking - Yang passing on opportunity to mess with someone? No way.

Soon after the pair ended their spar. Yang, not wasting a second, walked to Pyrrha and wrapped one arm around her shoulders. Moments later the champion's face turned the same shade as her hair.

Blake smiled. It was all so… normal. People sparing, laughing, and just spending time together. It was so different than White Fang, where everyone was constantly on edge.

It was only a week since she started her education at Beacon, but she already had group of friends in the form of her team, and - dare she say it - team JNPR. And if someone would have told her just a week before that she would call the heiress to the SDC a friend - she would probably punch said person for making fun of her.

Someone called her name and she looked up to see Ruby waving to her. WIth a smile, she got up and walked towards both teams. Her eyes flicked towards Jaune, but she just shrugged and focused on her leader, talking excitedly about something.

She decided to give up on investigating Jaune. What his connection to Headmaster Ozpin was she still didn't know - but decided that at the end of the day it didn't matter. Maybe his parents were the Headmaster's friends, maybe he was some distant family. Or maybe someone pulled some strings to get Jaune into Beacon in less than legitimate means. It could be either of these, or hundreds others - and either way it was none of her business.

She smiled to herself as both teams left the training room, and headed towards the cafeteria, everyone talking with each other. Blake quipped from time to time too. It was nice, just hanging out with friends like that. She would not let her paranoia get in the way. After all, even if Jaune has some secrets, it couldn't be anything more serious than hers, right?

* * *

* * *

**And here we go. Two fight scenes, and I must say Weiss vs Nora was much easier to write than Yang vs Jaune. I went over it multiple times, and even then first iteration was crap. Eventually, after talking about it a bit with JJD I rewrote it to current version. I think it works pretty well. I tried to portray Jaune as defensive fighter, who would prefer to wait for his opponent to come to him, rather than chase them around. I based this on my personal experience from my days in HEMA - I usually wore a lot of armor, with big shield on top of that. Setup like that gives a lot of protection, but didn't encouraged running around.**

**At first this fight was from Jaune's POV but then I decided to switch it around, to give some insight on Yang's mindset. Overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out at the end.**

**Oh, and Blake lets go of her suspicions towards Jaune. You guys can stop hating on her now.**

**JJD: Like most things we write together, we debated these fights endlessly haha. I feel like Cr00cy and I have enough content for a talk show about fighting at this point. As always, I think it came out better in the end for the debate (I know that FM and FS scenes are).**

**Also, people will never stop hating on Blake man, it's just part of the character at this point.**

**Cr00cy: Yep. It happens often - we discuss some scene one moment, next we have hour or so discussion about fighting. This is actually very interesting experience for me since up till now I take only with people with similar (swords or other melee weapons) or no knowledge. JJD is practicing hand-to-hand, so while we both know basic things about fighting, details are different. In these chapters we argued quite a bit about how Jaune vs Yang should go - JJD suggested he should chase Yang around, to hopefully pin her down, and take away her range advantage. I thought it would be better for him to not waste stamina chasing faster opponent, and just tank her shots until she runs out of ammo. In the end, I settle for something in the middle -and like I said, I think it turned out much better.**

 

* * *

**Letter to Friend**

Jaune rolled his shoulders, trying to get rid of the stiffness. Writing a letter was surprisingly hard . Not because he didn't have anything to write about, but because there was just so much that had happened during the month he was traveling with Leon.

He looked out of the only window in the room he and Leon were sharing. It was dark outside, the only thing he could really see were the stars and moon. The inn they were staying at was located in small village. Well, calling it village was generous. It was just a few houses and a small dock - a lumberjacks colony. It wasn't even a permanent settlement.

Jaune sighed and focused back on the piece of paper in front of him. After some brief consideration, he decided to just start writing about anything that came to mind.

" _Hi Samantha,_

_Sorry I haven't kept in touch, but I've been very busy this last month. And tired. Other things too, but mostly tired. Leon started training me as soon as we left Silver Lake. Well maybe 'training' is a bit too much. He said I needed to work on my cardio, so I've mostly been running around. I asked him once when my cardio would be good enough. He joked that when I'm able to cover 40 km, fight for hour, and then cover another 40 km within 24 hours, carrying full equipment._

_At least I hope he was joking._

_Anyway, we practiced fighting a bit. I still don't have my Aura unlocked - Leon said it's better if I learn basic fighting without it. But he assured me that I will have it unlocked before we go into the Wilds._

_The fact that he said 'you will have it unlocked' and not 'I will unlock it' has me a little worried. Also, this part about it happening 'before we go into Wilds', not 'before I'll have you fight Grimm.'_

_I've learned to pay really close attention both to what he says, and how he says it._

_Well, there is not much more to say. Or rather - there is a lot to say. But it mostly comes down to Leon teaching me things that I thought I knew. Fun Fact: Turns out spinning to make an attack stronger is not a good idea._

_Anyway, we are currently staying in some temporary lumberjack camp south of Vale. But we will be moving out soon - not sure where. When I asked, Leon said "wherever we are needed." Kinda cool, but not very helpful. But we should move closer to Vale soon, so I might be able to call._

_Well see you later,_

_Jaune._

_PS. One thing that surprised me - but maybe shouldn't - was Leon's cooking. I'll tell you - he would give my Dad a run for his money."_

Jaune put away his pen and looked over the letter. Deciding it was good enough, he put it in the envelope and went to bed. Tomorrow he would give it to captain of barg taking wood from the camp to Vale. From there it should reach Sam somehow.

* * *

**So here it is - Jaune set on his journey, and this is his first letter to Sam. What will Leon do to turn bumbling mess that is 13 year old Jaune into professional Hunter? What will Sam do to get the attention of her dorky knight? Will Jaune survive this with his body and mind intact? Who knows.**

**JJD: See, some of you still think this is a story about Jaune. This is CLEARLY a fic based on Sam. Hopefully Cr00cy will let me focus on the true main character some more next week.**


	13. Monsters Among Us

**Welcome to ch 12 of TPA. Edited, and spell-checked by JJD.**

* * *

Ruby sat at her usual place and looked around. The cafeteria was full of people, like usual, but it it was somehow less noisy than usual - even for a Saturday morning. There was tension in the air - nothing too serious, but one could feel it.

"You hear? They found another victim yesterday."

"Really? When?"

"Late last night, somewhere in harbor."

"That's terrible. That makes eight in total, right?"

"Yeah. What the hell are the police doing?"

Ruby winced. Conversations like that could be heard all over the place, and for good reason. The Vale Murder Spree, how media had chosen to dub them, had started last Monday. Everyday since then, a corpse of a young girl was found somewhere in Vale. So far, the police had made little progress in finding preparator. There were no witnesses, the victims seemed completely unrelated, and the bodies were found in seemingly random locations.

So it shouldn't come up as surprise that people were on edge. She looked over her team. Weiss was just staring at the inside her tea cup. Blake didn't have book with her, and wasn't that a weird sight, instead she was looking something up on her scroll. Ruby was sure it was reports related to the murders.

Even Yang seemed lost in thought, not even trying to tease anyone. One look at team JNPR confirmed they were no better.

Pyrrha tried to lift the mood by starting a conversation, but it soon died out. Ren was even quieter than usual, just poking his food with fork. Even Nora was quiet, which Ruby honestly though was a bit scary. And Jaune…

She paused and blinked a few times, only now noticing lack of certain blond Hunter.

"Guys, where is Jaune?" She asked aloud.

Pyrrha looked up her from her breakfast with slight frown.

"We're not sure. He went to Vale yesterday because he took some contract from the Company. When I woke up this morning, he was not in the room. But I got a message from him on my scroll saying that he got held up, and he will be back later than usual."

Yang perked up at that.

"Again? He was out Monday, and Wednesday too, right?"

"Actually, he was out everyday. Apparently it was supposed to be a short job, but is dragging on..." said Ren.

Blake looked up form her scroll.

"What job? And why he would go everyday if it left him so exhausted He even fell asleep in class a few times."

"Apparently someone he used to work with in the past contacted him. They needed some help on short notice, and not many people were available. Jaune accepted because he was running out of money."

"And when we asked him why he needed money so suddenly, he just said, 'three days, and seven sisters,'" added Nora.

Yang snorted.

"Yep, I think that explain a lot. How's his family anyway? Everything alright?"

"I think so. They left Vale earlier than they initially wanted, but apparently plan on visiting again sometime soon."

'When the murders stop' went unsaid.

Ruby recalled the previous week and smiled at the memory. Jaune was very excited about meeting with his parents and sisters. He would often drag one - or all - of his female friends to Vale to help him pick gifts, or ask their opinion on the one he already had planned. There were even some secret there - something team JNPR refused to talk about. Of course this made Yang all the more eager to learn what it was.

Jaune spent the whole weekend with them - to the not too well hidden disappointment of Pyrrha. Of course that prompted even more teasing form Yang. Ruby shook her head. Poor girl would probably have died from embarrassment, if not for Nora who was valiantly discracting Yang with constant sparrings.

She recalled how happy Jaune seemed next Monday. But this happiness turned into concern when he received a text message from his grandmother, and then into a full panic when the news of finding the first victim hit. It took the combined effort from both teams to stop him from rushing into Vale then and there. As it turned out, a few of his sisters went into the city alone, and his parents had trouble locating them. Fortunately, about an hour later, they were found.

Ever since then, Jaune seemed on edge - even when his family left Vale.

Ruby sighed, and looked around - just in time to see the blond haired boy heading their direction. She waved with a smile.

Jaune nodded and sat heavily in front of her, his food tray clanging on the table.

A choir of greetings sounded, and he greeted back. Ruby winced when she took a closer look at her friend. He looked like he would fall asleep at any moment, and only stayed awake by sheer force of will.

"Are you ok, Jaune?" She asked, even though the answer was obvious.

"Yeah, just a little tired."

"That doesn't look like 'a little'. When did you get back anyway? You are usually back shortly after eleven, but this time I think we are all were asleep when you returned." Ren asked, eyeing his leader with noticeable concern.

Jaune just groaned.

"Yeah, I got held back. Some idiot wanted to show off, messed things up, and it fall onto me to clean it up. I think it was almost five before I was done. Then there was a lot of paperwork to fill out - I just returned.."

Pyrrha sighed, seemed to consider something, then looked her partner in the eyes.

"Jaune, this is too much, you need to stop. You are exhausted already, if this continues it will affect not only your grades, but health too."

The blond hunter just shook his head.

"Pyrrha, we talked about this already. I can't simply 'stop'. I took a contract, and I need to stick with it."

"But.."

"I'll be fine. This was supposed to be a one time thing, but since it's dragging out, they are looking to hire more people."

This seemed to calm Pyrrha down a little. She still stared at him for a few moments, but eventually let it go.

Yang looked between two of them for a moment, before focusing on the leader of team JNPR.

"Well, now that you and your wife are done, I think it's high time we take care of the real problem here." Both Jaune and Pyrrha choked on their food.

Yang grinned and rested her cheek on one hand, while tapping the fingers of the other on the table.

"Ladykiller, you were going out to Vale everyday for the past week. And you always return late. Very late. Long after curfew. You often come late for classes, even sleep in few, and yet you didn't get detention. Or were reprimanded. None of the teachers seem to notice, or care about your escapades."

She leaned closer and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Care to explain why?"

Jaune just shrugged.

"I'm a registered member of Company, and this is a Company approved job. I guess they simply contacted Beacon, and informed them I was hired. And since it's technically Hunter related, I guess someone from staff just signed it off as me doing self-study, or a special assignment, or something like that." He said, before returning to his breakfast.

His friends stared at him for few seconds. Then exchanged knowing looks, silently asking each other who would say it.

"Professor Port is just covering for you while you are out, isn't he?" Blake asked finally.

Jaune sputtered and choked on his food. After his coughing stopped, he looked at the black haired girl with a slight panic in his eyes.

"Wha… Ho.. I mean, I don't know what you're talking about." He said finally.

"Jaune… everyone knows you are his favorite student."

"What? Nonsense . Peter Port is a professional, he treats everyone equally."

"He took you on some special assignment, not a week after Beacon started." Said Weiss.

"Yeah, but…"

"You guys sometimes meet in the corridor and spend hours discussing some strange stuff." Offered Ruby.

"Hey, that's…"

"He often calls you out to 'discuss some important matter'. No one knows what, but there are rumors flying around". Blake added.

"Wha…"

"And you are still the only person who understands what he's talking about." Yang finished with smirk. It fell when she noticed Ren and Nora looking around nervously.

"Ren? Nora? What's wrong?" she asked, a little uncertain.

"Well…" Ren begin.

"I think, his last story was actually pretty good." Nora finished with a shy smile.

All of team RWBY recoiled.

"Wha - What the hell?!" Yang screamed, terror evident in her voice.

"You guys… what the hell happened to you." Blake asked, eyes wide.

Ruby recovered from the initial shock, and used her Semblance to reach Pyrrha. She grabbed the champion by the arm and pulled.

"Quickly Pyrrha, you have to run! Before you get infected too!" She cried out.

There were few moments of silence. Then all of them burst out laughing.

"But seriously, what's up with you and Port? You guys spend a lot of time together. I don't think I ever heard of a student going to visit his teacher just to hang out." Asked Yang after she calmed down.

Jaune considered this for a moment, then just shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I guess its because we have similar experiences. Port was learned the ropes in the Wilds too, not in school. This is the old way of training, almost completely forgotten nowadays. Most people will go to schools, since its safer, and more efficient."

"So what are you talking about when you meet?"

"Usually we just complain about how much of a mess the current Hunter training program is. Or talk about our hunting methods."

He seemed to consider something for a moment, then just shook his head.

"Anyway, I think I'll try to catch some sleep. I feel like I'm gonna collapse any moment."

"And you look like it too. I guess we won't keep you any longer." Said Ren with a nod.

Weiss made a show of wrinkling her nose

"Just don't forget to take a shower. You stink so much that I can smell it form over there."

Jaune rolled his eyes.

"Yes, mom. Anything else, or can I go?"

Weiss eyed him for a moment, stroking her chin. Jaune sighed.

"You aren't going to repeat your usual rant, are you? I heard it enough times when I was working for your father."

"Now that you mention it…" Weiss said with a smirk.

Jaune narrowed his eyes.

"Well, if we going to repeat our old routines, I guess next you will…."

"Ok, you can go. Good night Jaune, I hope you have nice dreams!" The heiress exclaimed quickly, a slight panic evident in her voice.

Jaune just snorted and left. Weiss took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

_Ok, stay calm Weiss. They don't know, and will never know. This was just some insignificant banter, surely no one…._

An arm wrapped around her shoulders and mop of blonde hair appeared in her vision.

"Weiss~" Yang sing-songed

_Damn._

"Y-yes?"

"What was that about?"

_Just stay calm, you've got this under control._

"I was just messing with Jaune. Nothing more."

_There. Simple, easy answer. Surely she will…_

"Oh, I'm sure you were. But I'm more interested in what Jaune mentioned…"

_Crap._

"I mean, you backed off rather quickly after he mentioned it. So, Weiss-cream, what did your 'usual routines' include?"

Weiss could feel her cheeks heating up.

_Double crap._

"I-I.. I Have to go! I have an appointment that I absolutely can't miss!" She said, getting up in a hurry.

_Smooth Weiss, really smooth._

"Oh?" Yang raised a single eyebrow. "And what appointment would that be?"

_Triple crap._

"Well…"

"She promised to help me with something."

Everyone turned to look at the source of the new voice. Blake packed her book into her bag and stood up.

"I guess we will head to the library now?" She asked looking at the heiress.

Weiss nodded.

"Yes indeed. If you excuse us, we will be on our way." She said, following her new most favorite person in the whole word.

Yang was staring at her for a few more intense moments, then just shrugged.

"If you say so. I'm in a merciful mood today, so I shall pretend I believe that. Come Rubes, I think we still have some homework to do."

* * *

"Thank you."

Blake looked over her shoulder at the heiress.

"You're welcome." She said with a nod.

They continued walking in the silence, neither sure what to do.

_Come on Blake, you can do better._

The black haired girl sighed. One of reasons she dragged the heiress out of the cafeteria - beside saving her from being Yanged to death - was to get to know her better. After the joined sparring session with team JNPR, she decided she should get to know her team better. Sure, they knew each other only for one week at that point, but Blake knew she was a rather antisocial person, so the sooner she starts, the better.

Ruby was easy enough. She was nice, friendly, innocent, and excitable. Honestly, it was hard to  _not_  get along with her. Yang was similar - she was friendly enough on her own, and if someone was on good terms with her little sister, she would treat them as her own friends anyway.

That left Weiss. She was most distant from her teammates. Not really cold, or looking down on them, but rather reserved. Blake could see it in her behavior -sometime heiress would do, or say something, and then tense, as if wondering if what she did was not rude.

So it shouldn't come as big surprise that two of them didn't interact much. Blake was keeping mostly to herself, and was not afraid to let other people know when she prefered to be left alone - which was honestly most of the time. So even now, three weeks after Beacon started, they were still mostly strangers.

Blake decided that it was time to change it.

_Ok, stay calm girl. You can do it. Just start the conversation, something easy._

"So what was that 'usual routine' Jaune mentioned?"

Weiss gasped, and Blake mentally facepalmed.

_Great, just great. Ask her about the very thing you saved her from having to talk about._

"You don't have to say if it's too personal. I was just a bit curious."

She could hear Weiss letting out a breath of relief.

_Ok, back to square zero. Now think about something that will not sound like you try to interrogate her._

"Thank you."

Blake turned around, surprised.

"For saving me from Yang. It's not that it's something bad, or very personal… Well I guess it is… Personal I mean, not bad…"

_Weiss Schnee, miss perfect, is standing before me, blushing and babbling. Good thing I'm not jumping to conclusions as easily as Yang._

"You are welcome." Blake interrupted "What are friends for?"

_Ok, making some assumptions here._

To her relief, the heiress just smiled.

"I guess. But still, thanks for save." She seemed to consider something for a moment before asking.

"Hey Blake?"

"Yeah?"

"If you don't mind me asking… where are we going?"

_Well isn't that a great question?_

Before Blake could come up with an answer, the heiress continued.

"I don't mean to imply that I do not enjoy your company, but we've been wandering around for quite a while. I was just wondering, if there is something you wanted from me, or…" she trailed off.

Blake considered the answer for a moment, then decided to just go with the truth.

"To be honest, I just wanted to get to know you better. It was already three weeks since our team was formed, and we didn't had any chance to hang out."

Heiress looked surprised of all things. But soon after her lips stretched in small smile and she nodded.

"That sounds like great idea."

_Huh, that was easier than I thought._

* * *

_Well, this went better than expected._  Though Weiss, following her silent teammate.

After being saved from her inevitable death by teasing, she intended to thank her and then leave Blake to her own devices.

But then the thought struck her -she knew next to nothing about the black haired girl, despite living together for three weeks. Weiss knew she like to read, and preffered to keep to herself. And that was it. Blake seemed to be an intelligent, and very observant girl, that didn't hesitate to say what she thought, but at the same time, was much more tactful than Yang. Weiss would really like to call her friend.

_Well, that would be strange. Have we even had a proper talk? I don't think so._

Considered all of this, Weiss decided to take advantage of her current situation. Now, that there were no noisy, overexcitable teammates nearby, they could maybe hang out a bit. And as the heiress considered the best way to breach the topic, Blake once again spared her potential embarrassment by admitting that she had similar thoughts.

So now two of them were sitting at a white table, surrounded by the greenery of the Beacon gardens. It was a nice, quiet place, that Weiss found during the first week of her stay at the academy, and visited when she needed a bit of rest from her noisy team.

"This is a really nice place." Said Blake. "How did you find it?"

"By accident. I was wandering around, trying to clear my head, and just stumbled upon it."

Blake hummed.

"But I must say, it's a bit strange. It almost looks like a restaurant." She said with a small smile.

"Well…" the heiress trailed off. "It technically is."

Seeing her teammate's surprised expression, she continued.

"This is part of the recreation area for dignitaries visiting Beacon."

Blake suddenly looked nervous.

"Wait… can we even be here?"

Weiss shrugged.

"There is no rule saying we  _can't._  And as long as we do not get in anyone's way, I doubt they will throw us out."

Blake chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing. It's just that I didn't picture you as someone who would say something like that. You seem more…" Blake trield off.

"Stuck-up?" Weiss offered.

Blake blushed a little and looked to the side.

"No… 'proper' would the be word I'd use. More of 'if it's not allowed, it's forbidden' type of person."

"I guess… I must admit I used to be much more… stiff when it come to rules and regulations."

"But not anymore?"

Weiss huffed.

"Yes, not anymore. And I blame every bad thing that came out of it on the dunce."

"You mean Jaune?"

"Yes. He really was a bad influence on me. Sometimes I wonder why my father even allowed him to come so close to me. Though he probably never really cared."

This last sentence was mumbled quietly. So quietly in fact, that Blake doubted she would have heard it, if not for her being Faunus.

"So, if you don't mind me asking… what is between you and Jaune? You seem really close." Weiss let out tired sigh."I don't think you're secret lovers or anything like that. I'm not Yang. I'm just curious." Blake added quickly.

"Well, like I said many times, we are just good friends. And us being close?" She hummed, considering the answer.

"I guess it all just comes down to Jaune being the first… I guess you could call it 'normal' person my age that I had a chance to interact with. All my acquaintances up to that point were children of my father's business partners. Sure, they were friendly, but it was because it was expected of them... and from me."

She paused, lost in thought.

"We would smile at each other, joke around, even hang out. But it was all so…forced. Staged. Like a game - we all played it, even though we knew it was all just a facade."

A small smile appeared on her lips.

"Jaune was the first person I met who was just… friendly. There was no ulterior motives to his actions. He was friendly, because he wanted to be my friend. At first I was suspicious of him because of that. I guess I just couldn't believe he wanted to be friends just for the sake of being friends."

"After his first contract with my father ended, and he left, I felt… lonely. Then I realized how easy it was to talk to someone when you didn't have to be on your guard all the time. So next time Jaune came along, I decided to try and give him a chance. And it paid off. Sure, there were other people who I could talk with honestly - my sister, or my butler Klein. But with Jaune it was different. With Klein we had to stick to certain rules, he was employed by my father after all. With my sister… Well I love her dearly, and admire too. I always wanted to be like her, so I tried to act properly around her. With Jaune it was… different. He was not bound by the same rules as Klein, and he wasn't someone I admire, like my sister. I… I didn't had to be perfect around him."

"So how was he back then? He seem a bit…" Blake trailed off again.

"Dorky?"

"Yeah, that one."

Weiss rolled her eyes.

"He was even worse than he is now. Seriously, it's baffling how he managed to survive in the Wilds. And don't even get me started on his social skills. Or rather lack of thereof. Seriously, the only reason he was not thrown away form any social gathering was because he was just too dorky, and no one took him seriously. Everyone thought he was just some comedian."

"It must have been nice." Blake said, after heiress stopped her little rant with a huff.

"Hmm?"

"Having so close a friend. I never had any."

"Really?" Weiss looked genuinely surprised.

"Yeah.. There was this one guy. I thought we were friends, even more than that. But then he changed… or maybe he was always like that, and I just didn't notice? I'm not sure. Anyway, there came a time when I realized that we can no longer see eye to eye, so I left."

"Do you regret it?" Weiss asked.

Blake looked up at the heiress.

"Do you regret leaving him?"

She took a moment to consider her answer.

"No… I don't think so. He was.." she paused, then sighed. "We disagreed on some fundamental levels. We used to share a dream, but…" she trailed off, and fell silent.

Weiss hummed.

"So.. who is your favorite writer?"

Blake looked up surprised and a bit confused, but took this chance to change the topic.

"I don't have one favorite. I just read whatever tickles my fancy. But if you want some recommendations, Then…"

Form there the conversion become much easier. They would start on a topic, discuss it for sometime, and then move on to the next. If it turned uncomfortable for one of them, they would change it, and pretend neither noticed.

It was strange, and a bit awkward at times - but after three hours, both girls were much more comfortable with each other. Maybe not full friends yet - but the first step was made, and now they at least had some topics to talk about.

One thing Weiss was particularly happy about was that Blake didn't inquiry where the heiress procured porcelain cups and the tea they drank. A sign on the doors to small kitchen said to 'not interrupt the staff', not 'do not enter', and she did leave some money, that would surely cover the cost of their tea. But even she could admit she was pushing borders quite heavily there.

Eventually, they decided to head back. But this time their walk was not silent, instead both of them enjoyed the easy discussion.

* * *

Blake chuckled at the heiress' joke. Their little outing went far better than she could have hoped. Weiss was much easier to talk to than Blake imagined. It turned out they have similar tastes in many areas - music, movies, books Though in the latter case, she didn't dared to mention some of the more… mature ones she read.

"So then we.. Jaune?"

Blake looked at the heiress in surprise, then up at where she was staring. Sure enough, the blond leader of team JNPR was there.

"He seems in a hurry." Blake noticed.

Well that was somewhat of an understatement. He was sprinting at full speed, heading towards the bullhead docks.

"Do you think something bad happened?"

The heiress just shrugged.

"Maybe, but it might be him just overreacting. Jaune tends to take his contracts too seriously."

Blake hummed, observing as Jaune ran past a few people, knocking someone down. He didn't seem to pay any attention at the angry shouts that followed him.

"Any idea what his job might be?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. But I don't think it's anything dangerous."

Blake raised an eyebrow at that.

"Oh? And what makes you think that?"

"He didn't have his weapon. He might be a dork, but not enough to go into combat unarmed."

Blake spared one more look at the running blond, and true to Weiss' words, his sword was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure he will be fine. Unless Pyrrha nags him to death."

Weiss snorted, and they continued walking towards the dorms.

Blake couldn't help but smile. Today was a good day.

* * *

Jaune dropped into the seat and pulled his scroll. He opened the last message he received, and started at the photo of a young girl.

Emilia Benger. Age 16. Student at a local high school. Good grades, liked by teachers and fellow students alike. President of the student council, and captain of the girls' basketball team. Her body was found only thirty minutes ago, in the older parts of Vale's trade district. She wasn't registered as missing yet - so she had died not long ago.

_Well, that makes thirteen._

Jaune winced. This was getting really bad. Thirteen victims in the span of six days. There were little to no connection between them. Most of them didn't know each other. There were oraphons, daughters of simple workers, and directors of big companies. There were both human and fanus. Bodies were found in seemingly random locations around city, usually within its walls, and there were no visible injuries. There were only two common traits between them.

All victims were young girls, aged between thirteen and seventeen, and all of them turned in the same Harrowed after death: Class 2, subtype Dream Eater.

Jaune yawned and shook his head to stay awake.

Pyrrha was right - he really needed some rest. If he knew how it would turn out, he would probably have refused this contract. It was paying well, and Dream Eaters were not very hard to kill once you found them, but after a whole week of mostly sleepless nights, he was running on fumes.

He yawned again, and the checked messages he received again.

Five victims found, all over the city. It was unknown if they all were killed today, or some of them were simply not found earlier. Port was already on the case, but since the victims were spread all over the city, and killing five Harrowed in quick succession could prove dangerous for single Witcher, Jaune agreed to help.

The bullhead landed in Vale soon after. Jaune walked out and stretched, yawning yet again.

_I really need to take a break. Hopefully whoever they hire will be better than the guy last night._

"Jaune Arc? Please come with us."

The blond hunter turned around to see two men walking his way. Even though both of them wore civilian clothes, Jaune recognized one of them as the police officer that arrested him not so long ago. He smiled at the man.

"Hey, I just got into Vale, and you already want to cuff me? Isn't this a bit harsh?"

The man snorted.

"You can be never too careful with you Hunter lot. Always going around causing trouble."

Jaune shook his head and followed the two men to an unmarked police car.

"So why are you out anyway? I thought Peter was supposed to take care of things today?"

Jaune turned to his companion. Steven Brown was a burly man in his mid forties. He was assigned to accompany Jaune on this case.

"Yeah, but with so many targets it's better to spread them between two people." He paused to yawn again. "It's dangerous for a single person to kill so many Harrowed in a single day."

"I heard they hired another Witcher yesterday…" Steven paused when he noticed Jaune scowl.

"That bad?"

"Yeah. Guy was more concerned about looking cool, than doing the job. He got knocked out and let the damn thing escape. I had to spend most of the night chasing it around."

"Can't they hire someone else? Or just pick a few Hunters?"

"It's not that easy. Dream Eaters remain in they 'ghost' form most of the time - you can barely see them, and they are almost completely immune to normal attacks.. They materialize only when they fight you - but the problem is that they tend to avoid direct confrontation."

"Then why hunt them? If they don't harm people…"

"I never said that." Jaune yawned again, then slapped his cheeks. "They are still dangerous, they just act differently. Normal a Wraith, or any Harrowed really, will attack you, and kill you as soon as it finds you. Dream Eaters work in different ways - they attach themselves to their victim, and follow them around, slowly draining them of Aura. Such a person will feel tired, might have trouble with concentrating, or remembering things. It's easy to write it off as exhaustion. And when the victim falls asleep - the Harrowed will drain them even faster. It can take weeks or even months before a person dies."

Jaune hummed, considering something for a moment.

"I guess you could say that if normal Harrowed are predators, Dream Eaters are more like parasites."

Steven noded once, and then considered his companion.

"Will you be ok though? You look look like you could fall asleep on your feet."

Jaune let out another yawn, and shook his head.

"Yeah, they are not hard to kill. Its finding them that is tricky. That's why it's important to take them out as soon as you locate one. Finding them afterwards is a real pain. That's also the reason why it's only me and Peter doing this job. You need to have some way of detecting invisible enemies to deal with Dream Eaters, and it's not something everyone can do."

Steven just nodded. The rest of the way passed interrupted only occasional small talk. Normally, Jaune prefered to stay silent and focus on the job. But this time he welcomed distraction - it helped him stay awake.

After around thirty minutes, Steven parked the car in one of the more remote areas of Vale.

_Not remote enough._

Jaune thought, noticing several people milling around. It was not a crowd by any means, and he knew some of them were police officers in disguise, but there were a few civilians too.

_Oh well, it changes nothing. As long as I don't mess anything up, it should be alright._

"Here. I believe this is yours."

Jaune took a long, metallic case handed to him by Steven. It looked fairly simple - black, about one and a half meters long, with single handle in the middle. There was an electronic lock on one side, as well as a small scanner. Jaune entered the six digit code into lock, and pressed his thumb to the scanner. After a moment, the locks were released, and Jaune opened the case, revealing Eclipse resting inside.

After it became clear this assignment would drag out, Jaune decided to leave his black sword in the Company office, rather than the school. That way he didn't have to waste time going to locker rooms everytime he needed it, and didn't risk people stopping him to ask why he carried his weapon on school grounds.

With a nod, he closed the case again, but didn't activate the lock. Instead, he picked it up, and started walking towards building in front of him. Judging by sign in the door, it used to be a hairdresser salon, but it was long since closed.

The doors opened easily, revealing an interior devoid of any furniture, but with a lot of dust, and what seemed like the remains of fireplace on the floor. There were two people inside. Dirty, mismatched clothes, unshaved faces, and bottles in paper bags they held made them look no different than any other beggar in Vale.

"You can leave. Tell the guys outside to stay at least one hundred meters away, and not to enter until I'm done.

Both men nodded and left. Jaune shook his head. They had to be either crazy, or have balls of steel. Keeping watch  _inside_  of a haunted building, when you didn't even have Aura, was not something many people would willingly do. But members of Vale's police Special Response Unit were some of the toughest bastards Jaune had ever worked with.

He took Eclipse from its case, and waited for the sounds of footsteps outside to quiet down, then activated both his blade, and Semblance. Jaune briefly considered trying out the technique Peter taught him two weeks ago, but he still had a long way to go with it, and this was not time to be experimenting.

With a sigh, Jaune pulled two Elixirs from his belt and drank them both. He was already exhausted, and it wasn't even that long since last time he activated his Aura vision.

_Three perception enhancers, and three Dusk's in around twelve hours. I can already tell, this will be the most epic hangover ever._

He winced a bit when the light nausea attack hit him. But thankfully it was short, and Jaune started heading towards the doors at the far end of the room - where he knew stairs leading to the cellar were.

Soon after, he was in small, dark, and damp room. It looked similar to the one above - only difference was a few old wooden boxes in one corner, and less empty bottles lying around.

Oh, and the corpse of a young girl in the middle of the room.

Jaune looked around. Spotting the Harrowed was not hard - it hovered around one meter above the dead body.

Unlike most Wraiths, Dream Eaters didn't look like something pulled straight out of a schizophrenic's nightmare. Most notable difference was the face - it brought to mind a young, sleeping woman, not a deformed human skull. It also had normal fingers instead of sharp claws, and long, black hair that floated gently in the air instead of eldritch bluish, or greenish flames.

Jaune took his stance, and started to close the distance slowly. When the Harrowed didn't react even when he was not more than three meters away from it, he broke into a sprint and buried Eclipse into its chest. There was no soul-crushing howl, no sudden burst of telekinetic energy, or eruption of otherworldly flames. Just a quiet sigh as it started to turn into motes of light.

Jaune winced. He hated dealing with Dream Eaters the most. Whether it was their appearance, or strange behavior, he didn't know, but they always made him uncomfortable. He shook his head to dispel such thoughts and focused on the body instead. It was cold, but still a bit soft.

_So she died relatively recently. That would explain why the Harrowed don't move - it still hadn't not formed fully._

He looked the dead girl over carefully, but couldn't find any noticable wounds. There was no blood, no deformations indicating blunt trauma, and as far as he could tell, there was no sign she suffocated, drowned, or had been strangled.

_Oh well, I guess I'll leave this to the police. This is a fairly fresh body, so maybe they will find something this time._

Jaune spared one last glance towards the corpse, and swept the room just to make sure there were no Harrowed traces left. Only then, he left the building. Back in the open he leaned on the wall, and slumped, taking deep breaths.

 _I really need a break._ He thought.

"You are out fasts. I hope this means that the job is done, not that you got scared and ran away?"

Jaune looekd up at Steven, and accepted the offered hand.

"Yeah. It didn't have a chance to fully form, so I took it out without any problem. By the way, that means the corpse is still fresh. Maybe the folks from the lab will find something this time."

Steven just nodded, and hauled him towards car. Since not a single body had any injury, the current theory a was that some kind of poison was used. However, so far identifying it proved difficult - there was some damage to internal organs that supported this theory, but no traces of any known poison was discovered in any of the victims' bodies.

Oh well,. It was not his job to find this out, and even if it was, he was too tired to think about anything right now.

Not him, nor any of the cops paid any attention to the figure observing them from one of the alleys.

* * *

He slumped against the wall and let out a ragged breath. He failed. Again.

This was supposed to be a good day. The day when he finally succeed. He put a lot of work into this, used the best ingredients he could get his hands on, double, triple, or even quadruple-checked every step, every dose, everything.

It was perfect. Today he was supposed to finally complete the medicine for Emily. But there were some things he had to take care of, so he left the medicine in the usual meeting place with precise instructions on how to use it, in case he didn't not make it back in time. He was sure it would work - it was a recipe of his Master after all.

But now he would never know. His first hint that something is wrong was the people. There were more than usual, and some of them were a bit too focused on looking around. Some of them were walking from place to place, but never strayed too far from the same spot.

He hurried, picking well-known alleys to reach his destination faster. But his heart almost stopped when he noticed a blond boy with a very familiar case in hand leaving the building where they were supposed to meet.

He knew what this case contained, and what him leaving this building meant. It meant that Emily was gone. That he would never see her smile again. That he failed.

His hand clutched his chest. Why? Why was this happening?

He just wanted to help. Emily was such a nice girl - far too trusting for her own good, cheerful, nice, and always smiling. But he knew, from the moment he saw her, it was all just a farce.

She was ill. Very ill. No one else noticed, but frankly, he didn't blame them. Symptoms were subtle, almost impossible to notice. The only reason he was able to do so, was because he saw them oh so many times already. So he did everything he could to help her.

He wasn't arrogant enough to think he was only one that could, or even that he was best for the job - this would be his Master. But he wasn't there, so it was up to him to act.

He spoke with her just this morning - she was so excited to meet him. And now she was dead. Gone forever. Murdered by some maniac in broad daylight.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed off the wall, and started walking. He didn't care where he was going, just as long as it were away from this place.

Ever since coming to Vale, he found several girls suffering from the same illness. Even though he knew the chances for success were low, he tried his best to help them. And he did - he managed to save far more than usual. Only for all of them to die soon after.

He briefly considered if this was his fault. Was he somehow drawing death to them? Maybe the murderer was someone who had grudge against him, and was killing those girls just to hurt him? Was it better if he just stopped?

He shook his head. No, that was ridiculous. He was not so important to warrant attention like that, and it definitely was not his fault that some… some  _monster_  decided to kill them. And even if that was true - they would have suffer even more if he did nothing.

He took a deep breath, and steeled his resolve. He couldn't give up. He had to continue. Not for himself.

Not even for his Master.

But for them.

* * *

**Well, that wraps it up. A little bonding between Blake and Weiss, Vale is terrorized by a series of murders, and our blond Witcher is working his ass off to save both the citizens of Vale, and his own wallet.**

**Also, we got a bit of insight into Jaune and Weiss' relationship. In case there are any White Knight fans reading this, I'll make it clear - they are just friends, and there will be** _ **no**_   **romance between those two in this story. Sorry folks, maybe some other time.**

**Oh, and speaking of Jaune and Weiss - here is another omake of their time together:**

* * *

It was strange, Weiss decided, how even the smallest things could shock very fundations of your life. How even simplest, most mundane thing could lead to you changing the way you see the world.

Weiss believed in order. She believed that everything, and everyone had its place in the universe. She believed that there are certain fundamental truths, so absolute that no one could ever question them. That's why certain things just worked the way they did - and there was no reason to question them.

But what if one of these truths was proven to be false? Suddenly every other looked less… absolute. If one of them could be so easily torn to shreds, what about the others?

And what did this mean for Weiss? Was everything she ever believed a lie? Were her dreams even hers? Was  _she_ even her? Maybe she was an imposter, a dopplengar with a false memory put in the place of the real Weiss, who was now suffering in some creepy dungeon? How could she know anything? How could she trust anything, when the very foundations of reality were torn down before her very eyes?

She looked up again, taking in scene in front of her. An impossible scene, something that by all rights should not be happening. But it was. It wasn't a dream, or illusion, or hallucination. Or maybe it was? Maybe the whole word, and everything in it was just a mirage, including Weiss.

"Here, try this one."

She stared at one Jaune Arc, presenting her yet another dress with a goofy smile on his face. With sigh Weiss accepted it, and went into the changing room.

She looked good in it. As she did in every one of the thirty two she tried out up till now.

She  _felt_  good in it. As she did in every one before.

How could Jaune Arc, a boy, be able to pick dresses for her so perfectly? This shouldn't be happening. This went against one of most basic laws of universe - men hated shopping for clothing.

Sure, some of them might have gotten used to it, even enough to actually offer some sound advice. But they would never, ever enjoy it. Because the universal truth was this - when woman took man to clothing shopping, it was to make him suffer.

He should not actually enjoy it.

He should not be able to guess her mesurments with a single glance.

He shouldn't be able to pick the perfect dress everytime - one that not only fit perfectly, but also looked good on her.

He most definitely shouldn't be able to pick accessories that matched every dress, her eyes, hair, and skin.

And absolutely, definitely, most certainly he shouldn't be so good at all of this that even employees of Atlas most famous clothing stores were impressed.

When they finally left - after Jaune received several employment offers - Weiss was silent. She desperately tried to make some sense of what just happened. She remained mostly silent for rest of the night. She vaguely recalled her servants taking bags from them. Then they visited some more stores, restaurants, and then - to her surprise - a simple food stall. Her father would probably have a stroke if he saw her even  _look_  at place such as this, but her? She didn't care. Not after what happened.

The food was decent. Not delicious, not amazing, not even close in quality to what she usually ate. Her chef would probably commit seppuku with a butter knife if he saw what she was eating.

But she didn't care. Even though it was not good, she enjoyed it. Maybe it was the shock of her world crumbling to dust, or maybe the people around who did not pay any attention to her, or maybe the blond boy next to her - who was treating her as just a friend. Not a connection, not business partner, nor a way to further his own agenda.

Just a friend.

"So.. wanna get some ice cream?"

Ice cream? At this hour? And no doubt bought in some run-down place.. Local tabloids would have field day if they found out that Weiss Schnee was doing something so undignified. It was bad enough she visited some simple food stall, with a boy, and was now eating kebab with far too much sauce.

"Sounds good." She answered with a smile. To hell with tabloids, rules, and expectations. The world stopped making any sense somewhere between the second and fourth perfectly fitting dress Jaune picked for her. She could at least have a little fun before reality collapsed, and everything returned to the nothingness.


	14. Taking Break, Taking Action

**Welcome to ch 13 of TPA. Hopefully it won't be unlucky.**

* * *

**Ch13**

Jaune looked at his reflection in mirror and winced. He didn't look too good. And he wasn't even talking about shadows under his eyes, or how tired his face looked. He lifted his right hand, and winced again. The pain wasn't as strong as it was before he applied his medicines, but it still hurt to move it around.

Most Witchers prefered to take at least a day or two of break after each Harrowed kill. And if they had to take on three in a single week -they would usually take at least two weeks to recover.

Not because of exhaustion, or wounds. Though these could be valid reasons too, but there was another, much more serious concern - corruption.

Jaune clenched his teeth as another wave of pain washed over him. It originated from his right arm - which now was pitch black, with multiple red, slightly glowing lines covering it.

_Well, could be worse. Good thing they finally hired some help, me and Peter wouldn't be able to keep this up any longer._

Jaune sighed, and started putting on his uniform. He spend most of previous week hunting Harrowed left in wake of some new psycho murderer. The only reason he accepted the job was because Peter had asked him to. The old Witcher received an emergency request when he was busy with some other job. Since he was out of Vale, and it would take him several hours to get back, he contacted Jaune, and asked him to take care of it.

Jaune hadn't had anything better to do, so he agreed. He needed the money anyway, after a whole weekend spent with his family, his bank account was looking rather miserable. The job looked simple enough - a murder victim turned into Harrowed. It happened all the time.

He took care of the job fast enough - only for more murders to follow. And every single victim turned into the same type of Harrowed. That got him worried. Both because it was a mystery - it wasn't unusual for the victim of a brutal murder to turn into a Harrowed. And if every victim was killed in the same way, it wasn't unlikely it would be the same type. What got Jaune on edge was how similar this case was to one he was helping with a few months ago in Atlas. Back then, the victims were young girls too, and all of them turned into Harrowed too, though not everyone was the same type.

Jaune finished putting on his uniform, and a single, white glove on his right hand. Thankfully, his team didn't questioned this addition. And honestly - if Ruby could wear her cloak everywhere, he could put a single glove on, right?

His team was already ready and waiting for him.

_Good thing Beacon uniforms cover so much. That would be a really awkward conversation if they saw my arm right now._

They were on the way to cafeteria when Nora skipped to him and asked with wide grin.

"So, Fearless Leader, care to explain what happened yesterday?"

"Hmmm?"

"Oh, don't you play dumb. We barely left the bullhead, and you were stopped by some guy in a suit. What was that about?"

Jaune smiled at the memorey. After his Saturday job, Pyrrha all but demanded he will take a break. He didn't protest, since he knew full well he needed one. So his plan for Sunday was to eat breakfast, sleep, eat lunch, sleep some more, maybe hang out with his friends a bit, and then sleep again.

It worked perfectly - until the 'hanging out' part. His team decided to visit Vale. On the way to the dock, they met team RWBY who had a similar idea. It was turning out to be nice outing - up until the moment they left the bullhead in Vale. Almost immediately, Jaune was approached by a Company agent, and basically forced into a car.

"Please Nora, I don't want to talk about it." He groaned.

"Did something bad happen?" Asked Pyrrha.

"No, it's just…" he sighed and shook his head. "Let's just say that the job description didn't match reality."

"I guess it's another secret you can't really talk about?"

"Yeah, something like that. Company regulations are pretty strict when it comes to sharing information about jobs."

"I see…" Pyrrha looked like she wanted to say something, but then gave up with a tired sigh. Instead, she turned to Nora, and the two girls started talking quietly together.

Soon after they reached the cafeteria, and sat in front of team RWBY. Jaune barely sat his tray down, before Yang leaned towards him with a grin.

"So, Ladykiller, what was that about yesterday?"

Jaune's head hit table, a long groan the only response Yang received.

"Wow. That bad?"

"Total waste of time. Well, I got paid well, so maybe not total."

"And I guess you can't tell us what that was about?"

Jaune lifted his head and sighed.

"Yes. Like I've said on multiple occasion, there are rules. I can't just go on and say what I was doing, especially when the contract specifically says that everything I do has to be kept a secret."

Yang just hummed, and went back to her meal. Form there it was the usually light conversation - them talking what they were up to, complaining about classes, and other things any normal students would talk about. Jaune wasn't participating in the conversation too much - mostly because he was still tried, in bad mood after last night's job, and because he was too busy trying to not wince in pain everytime Nora bumped into his right arm.

He was doing well, but after one particularly strong hit, he felt something worrying. Up until now, the pain was dulled, coming in waves. Now it felt as if someone was poking his arm with hot needles. And there were more and more of them with every second.

_Crap. Well, looks like today will be fun._

"Sorry guys, need to go to restroom." He said aloud, getting up and leaving the cafeteria. He didn't pay much attention to what response - if any - he got. If he did, he might have noticed the conflicted expression on Pyrrha's face.

* * *

"So… Are we gonna just ignore that?" Asked Yang.

Pyrrha let out a tired sigh.

"I guess we have little choice in the matter. Jaune made it clear he is not willing to talk about this with us." She said, hurt evident in her voice.

"You tried asking him?" Asked Ruby, with a hint of worry.

"Not about what is up with his hand specifically. But every time we try to talk about anything related to what he's doing in Vale, he quickly changes subject." Answered Ren.

After that the table fell silent.

They noticed something was wrong last Wednesday. It was a small thing - Jaune started to wear a glove on his right hand. It wasn't anything to worry about in itself, but the fact he was wearing it all the time, even when sleeping, coupled with other things, made it clear that something was wrong.

Like the time Nora sneaked a peek at his Elixir box, and noticed several bottles were missing.

Or that he started to sleep in a long sleeve shirt, rather than his usual t-shirt.

Or the fact that he was making tonics from various herbs - some of which Ren identified as having strong anesthetic properties.

Or how his mysterious job started the same day the murders did, and Jaune's reaction to the reports of new victims found - or rather lack of any.

Pyrrha didn't think that he didn't care, he just wasn't surprised.

And then there was the conversation she overheard last Friday. She was sneaked out of her room late at night and headed towards the docks, hoping to catch her partner and have a talk with him. She found him talking to someone on his scroll. Pyrrha didn't catch much of the conversation, but what little she overheard told her enough.

Jaune needed money. She wasn't sure if it was because he owed it to someone, or for other reasons, but it was clear he needed it fast. When he finished talking, she considered coming out and confronting him about it, but something stopped her. What if he just gave her some lame excuse and walked away? What if he got angry ? What if he did tell the truth - and it was something she wouldn't be able to accept?

She realized she might be overreacting - but she really loved her team. And she didn't want to lose it. So instead of going out to talk to her partner, Pyrrha returned to her room, and pretended she didn't hear anything.

"So, what are we gonna do about it?"

Ruby's voice broke her out of her thoughts. Pyrrha let out a tired sigh, and looked up at the young team leader.

"I don't know Ruby. Honestly, I'm afraid that if we ask, he will avoid the subject. And even if he tells us truth…" she didn't finish.

After that, they remained silent for a moment. Eventually, it was time leave the cafeteria for their first class of the day.

On the way, Ruby bumped her arm with Pyrrha's and sent a reassuring smile to the red haired champion.

She smiled back and nodded.

Maybe she was just overthinking things. Maybe it was nothing, and she was just looking for problems where there weren't any.

Maybe if she told herself that enough, she would believe it.

* * *

Monday classes passed relatively fast. Sure, it felt like they were dragging on forever, but even then they were free before two o'clock.

Well, expect Jaune. He had to sit through an hour and half of supplementary lesson with Oobleck. He did his best to listen and take notes. He really did. But the subject was so boring, and Oobleck talked so fast, that it was almost impossible to focus on the lesson. A sharp pain coming from his right arm didn't help, nor did the nausea and slight migraine.

_Well, it have been worse. And payment is good, so I guess I can't complain too much._

He sighed. He usually avoided taking contracts set up by the police. He didn't know why, but this particular institution was almost alway short on funds. However, it turned out the Vale Police had pretty deep pockets. They even threw in a nice bonus after he and Peter finished their Friday jobs. And then another for the emergency call on Saturday.

Jaune smiled, but it turned into a wince when another wave of pain washed over him. With all the little jobs he took for the past six months, he managed to save quite a bit. Sure, his bank account got hit pretty hard after a weekend spent with his family, but he was not worried about that. This contract with the VPD, not to mention this extra job from yesterday, more than covered all the losses.

_Just a little more. I'm almost there._

He sighed again. With how far his corruption went, he would need to take at least two weeks break from hunting Harrowed, possibly more. This meant that most likely he would not be able to work with VPD on this case anymore.

Jaune sighed again. Another reason why he don't like working with police, was because it always made him feel bad that he essentially profiting from the suffering of other people. Leon always said to not be bothered by it, since the same could be said about every Hunter related job, nut Jaune knew his teacher shared this sentiment.

_Oh, well doesn't matter. I only need a few thousands more, shouldn't be too hard to earn with Peter's help._

Just before his family visited Vale, Jaune had a little talk with his Grimm studies professor. After he explained his situation, and why he needed the money, the old Hunter was more than happy to assist Jaune in both finding suitable jobs, and providing him excuses to leave Beacon. He set only one condition - that Jaune will not let this affect his grades.

Jaune sapred quick glance at rest of classroom. He wasn't only student having to take supplementary lessons with his History teacher. Most people seemed as interested in what oobleck was saying as he was, but few were diligently taking notes.

After class finally ended, Jaune let out lng sigh and slumped out of classroom. He stopped briefly outside, considering what he should do. There was some homework he needed to do, so he could go to library. His team apparently went to Vale - and specifically informed him to  _not_  follow them.

Jaune smirked when he read this message on his scroll. He knew they were upset about him leaving them yesterday, and whole 'no talking about job' thing, and he did feel a little abt about it. But rules were rules, and unless it was life-or-death situation, it would be unprofessional of him to break them on whim.

_So, I guess I'll go to library after all. Got my homework done, maybe read some book. I heard Beacon have quite impressive collection._

* * *

"Weiss you know something, don't you?" Yang stated, looking intently at her teammate.

Heiress put away her cup of coffee and looked up at her teammate.

"I'm not sure what do you mean by that."

"Oh don't play dumb with me. We all noticed this looks you are sending Jaune's way ever since this murders started. You know something about what he is doing, don't you?"

Weiss opened her mouth to respond put paused when hand grabbed her own.

"Please. If you know anything, please tell us." Pyrrha pleaded.

Heiress looked around the table. All members of team RWBY and JNPR - minus the leader - were gathered in open-air cafe. It was nice, quiet place, perfect to relax after long and tiresome day at Beacon. Both teams chatted, laughed and generally had good time.

But it didn't took long for conversations steer towards recents murder spree. And from there - to certain very troublesome blond team leader.

Weiss took one more sip, before speaking.

"Listen, I know about his current job as much as any of you. It's just that…" she let out a tired sigh and continued, "a few months ago Jaune visited Atlas. There was a similar murder spree going on - all victims were young girls too, seemingly not connected. I remember him being on edge. He and his teacher were spending a lot of time in the city, often coming back late and exhausted. I saw them talking with the police a few times. But I do not know if it was related to the murders - when I asked Jaune, he just said it was a personal matter."

"You think it might have been related? Like, he was chasing the person responsible for the murders?" Ruby asked.

"I said, I don't know!" The heiress snapped. Then she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and continued.

"All I know is that Jaune and Leon came to Atlas. They stayed for about two weeks, and then left. The murders stopped around the same time."

"So it is possible it had something to do with the murders." Blake mused.

"Yes, it is plausible. But back then he was more… restless. He could barely sit in one place. Whenever he wasn't out in the city, he would talk about something with his teacher in secret, or train."

Weiss sighed.

"He.. wasn't in a good place then. I could see it in his eyes in the rare moments we got to talk. He was angry. Very angry. And scared."

There were a few moments of silence after Weiss finished. The one who broke it was Nora.

"Do you think it's the same now?" She asked quietly. It was strange coming from normally energetic girl.

"I really don't think so. He doesn't seem as agitated as back then. Just tired."

"Then why he won't talk to us about what he's doing?" Inquired Ren.

Weiss scoffed.

"Because he is an idiot. He's got it stuck in his head that he cannot allow himself to be 'unprofessional', whatever this means\\. I have no idea why, but it was the same back when we first met."

"I see…" said Pyrrha.

Yang looked over her friends, and then smirked

"So… what are we gonna do about it?"

"Do we need to do anything?" Asked Blake.

"We don't. But aren't you guys curious? Ladykiller has some serious secrets here, and I can't be only one who wants to find out more. Besides, we can as well try to look into the murders. Who knows, maybe we can find whoever is responsible for this. We will be heroes!"

Weiss just sighed.

"Yang, do you seriously think that a bunch of students could prove more capable of finding the criminal than the police? And even assuming we would - what do you intend to do? It's not like we can arrest anyone."

"Yang…"

"Yes, Nora?"

Theinger girl let out a sigh and then looked up at the blond, who just laughed nervously.

"This idea…"

"Yeah?"

"IS BRILLIANT!" She shouted, grabbing both Ren and Pyrrha by their necks and squeezing them.

"We will be like super detectives, and will find out why Jaune is so grumpy, and we will be famous, and we will get tons of pancakes! It will be great!"

Yang grinned.

"Well, looks like they are on board. How about you guys?"

Pyrrha opened her mouth to protest, but paused when Nora squeezed her a bit harder. She glanced at Ren, who managed to look totally unbothered by the fact his head was half buried in Nora's chest. When he noticed Pyrrha's gaze he just mouthed 'roll with it'.

One look at Nora's maniacal smile told her that this solution might be better for her health.

"Well. We are Huntresses. It's our job to help people." Said Ruby nodding to herself.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to look into this. If we find anything, we can inform the police. It's not like we have to chase whoever is responsible ourselves." Blake added with a nod.

All eyes focused on Weiss, who just shook her head.

"I guess I'll tag along. Someone has to keep an eye on you lot, or you will get in trouble."

Yang wrapped an arm around the heiress.

"Oh, don't be like that. Weiss-cream. We all know you're worried about Jaune."

"I'm not!"

Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Even though you were nagging him about taking better care of himself even more than Pyrrha? Or that you complained for hours on end how irresponsible he is for overworking himself? Or that you were making spare notes for him, when he fell asleep in class?"

Yang leaned closer and smirked.

"Or that you were looking out for him through our window, and only went to sleep when you made sure he came back?"

"I-I did none of those things!"

Yang's smirk grew even further. She pulled out her scroll, placed it on the table where everyone could see it, and opened a folder named 'Teasing Materials W'.

"Oh? Then I suppose this isn't you on this little recor.." This was all she managed to say before Weiss shut the scroll down, and got up.

"Let's go everyone! If we are to find this murderer, we can't afford to waste time!" She exclaimed, heading towards the exit.

The rest of the just shrugged and followed her.

"So… any idea where to start?" Asked Ruby

Yang grinned.

"I know just the place."

* * *

"So, this is it?" Asked Blake, looking at the entrance to the club apparently named 'The Club.' Not the most original name, but hey, who was she to judge?

"Yeah, owner's an information broker. Apparently he knows about everything that goes on in Vale."

"And why would you know such people?" Asked Weiss with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, I'm a worldly girl, I visit all sort of places. Anyway, We shouldn't all go in, people in there might get nervous if six Huntresses and one Hunter suddenly burst in. Besides, Ruby's too young to enter anyway."

"Aren't we all?" Asked Blake.

"Hush, you. Ok people, me and Ren are going in. They know me, so it might be easier to get them to talk. And Ren's a cool guy, so he won't put them on edge."

"Then why do you need him?"

"What, you want to send a beautiful and delicate girl like me to a place like this alone? Just think what could happen. Someone might try and molest me!"

All of them snorted.

"But on a more serious note. All kinds of people come here. Most of the time everyone's chill. But sometimes you will find an idiot who had one drink too much and will try to start something. If they see a Hunter they might want to try they chances. But against two? No way."

"I guess that makes sense." Said Ren with a nod. He turned to the rest of the girls "So what are you gonna do, while we are inside? Wait for us?"

"I see little point in us just standing here. I'll go to the CCT and make a few calls. Maybe I will be able to learn something about the murders in Atlas, see if there are any similarities." Said Weiss.

"Oh! Can I come with you?" Asked Ruby.

The heiress nodded with a small smile.

"Sure. Why not?"

Blake shrugged.

"There's a book store nearby, and I know the owner. I'll try asking him if he knows anything, then check the web for any info."

Nora grabbed Pyrrha's hand and dragged her closer.

"Then me and Pyr will just try asking around places where the victims were found. Maybe someone saw something."

Yang nodded.

"Sounds like a plan. We will start asking around once we are done inside. So, where do we meet up?"

"I guess at Beacon. We will have to go back soon anyway." Said Ren.

"Ok, so let's not waste anymore time. Get moving!" Exclaimed Ruby, before turning around and sprinting away, her cloak fluttering behind her.

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted at her partner.

The red Huntress paused and looked back.

"The CCT is that way." The heiress said, pointing in the opposite direction of where Ruby was heading.

There was a moment's pause, then a sudden gust of wind leaving a few rose petals behind. Ruby Rose passed, now standing where her partner pointed.

Weiss shook her head, and followed after her team leader.

The rest of group split up, leaving Ren and Yang alone.

The blond cracked her neck.

"Ok, Ren, let's get this show on the road. Stay close to me, do what I say, and you might get out of this intact. I like this club, would hate to see Nora destroy it in revenge."

Ren just smirked.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"Have you ever been in the club like this before?"

"No."

"Have you ever even seen a club before?"

"Not really. Me and Nora lived in a small village."

"Then what makes you think you are even remotely prepared for what await us inside?"

"Living with Nora for the past ten years." He deadpanned.

Yang opened her mouth, then closed it.

"Good point."

Soon after they entered The Club, and the loud music and crowd surrounded them.

* * *

Blake let out a tired sigh. She spend the last hour browsing various news sites, forums, looking for any reliable info about the recent murders spree. She didn't have much luck. Only thing certain is that every victim was a young girl, there was no connection between them, and that according to the police, they were all poisoned. The last thing was only new information she learned - and it wasn't like it would help them in finding the one responsible.

She looked to clock, and confirmed she had about two and half hour before she had to go back to Beacon.

_Can browse some more I guess. I wonder if others had more luck._

* * *

"Thank you for your assistance."

"You are welcome Miss Schnee. If you need anything else, please feel free to contact me."

"Of course sir. I wish you good day." With that, Weiss ended her call. It honestly went better than expected. The few people from Atlas Police Department she contacted were all too happy to assist the heiress to the SDC. While they couldn't provide all the information through a normal call like that, they assured her she would get all the info she wanted delivered to her scroll.

"That was awesome!" Ruby exclaimed, looking at her partner in awe.

Weiss huffed.

"It's to be expected from a Schnee. Our name carries a lot of weight, especially in Atlas."

"They were so nice, and so eager to help! They treated you like you were a princess!"

"Now, let's not got ahead of ourselves Ruby. This was simple transaction. They didn't really lose anything by sharing info about a long closed investigation like that, and by doing me a favor, they can expect a favor in return in the future. This is how this works."

"I see. But it was still impressive!"

"I guess it is..."

"Ok Weiss! So I guess we'll be heading back now? If they are going to send you all the info to your scroll, we can look over it in our room."

"Hmm, that's a good idea. Let's go Ruby."

"I wonder if the others are ok."

"I'm sure they are. They all can take care of themselves."

"That's not what I meant."

"Oh." Weiss mused or a moment. "Well Blake looks like the kind of girl who would rather avoid trouble. Nora is kinda energetic, and talks about breaking legs a lot, but I don't think she would seek trouble. Or harm innocent people. Yang…" she trailed off, shooting a wary glance at her partner.

"Well, she has Ren with her. If he can deal with Nora, maybe he will be able to prevent Yang from getting into trouble too." Ruby said.

Weiss just nodded. Yes, Ren looks like a very reasonable man. Surely he will not let the brash Xiao Long do anything reckless.

* * *

"I'll ask you for the last time. Are you really, positively, absolutely sure you want to do this? If you just walk away…"

"Shut your fucking mouth, moron. You talked so big back there in front of your girl, and now you chicken out?" Said one man.

"Yeah. Don't think you can just talk back to the Black Reapers like that and get away with it." Added the second.

"And don't worry. We will take really good care of blondie back inside." The third exclaimed and laughed.

"Yeah! She'll finally get a chance to hang out with real men. She must be really desperate for one if she went out with a wimp like you." The first added. It elected a wave of laughter from his companions. All twelve of them.

"I mean,seriously, why would she go out with a fag? What, she thinks she is so hot, she could set him straight?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it past her. You don't see a rack like that everyday."

"Or maybe she's lesbian? And wants to have a girls' night out?" Another wave of laughter.

"Well then, we will have to help set her straight then!"

Ren took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and slowly let it go. He could have ignored it. Even back in the bar, when the muscular, bald, and tattooed guy sat next to Yang, and started asking her out. Obviously Yang was not interested, and just as obviously, the slightly drunk guy didn't get the hint.

When Yang ignored him yet again, in favor of talking with Ren, the guy got offended that he was stealing attention from 'his' girl.

He could ignored him back then, he was sure that the club bouncers would throw the annoying gangster-wannabe out if he got too bothersome. Even when he told guy to take it outside, he could have avoided the current situation by simply running away. He wasn't Ruby, but he was fast enough to outrun any civilian.

But he didn't. Instead he followed the group of twelve tattooed, oddly dressed men to a nearby alley. He allowed them to push him inside, against wall, and block his escape route.

Even then he could probably have tried to talk it out. Failing that, he could use his Semblance to calm them down, and end this peacefully.

But he didn't.

Instead he looked over people surrounding him one more time. They were smirking, throwing insults at him, some pulled out 'weapons.' A knife here, a baseball bat there. One had brass knuckles, another a heavy looking chain.

Ren tried to not laugh. You hang around a girl wielding a warhammer that turned into a grenade launcher long enough, and your perception of what is, and what isn't a weapon changes.

"I see. Then I guess we are doing this after all."

"Hell yeah we are!"

"And don't blame us for what happens next. You brought it on yourself!"

"Yeah..." he said, pulling out his scroll.

They all looked at each other, surprised by his calm response. It grew even further when the first tunes of an angry melody came out of his scroll. They probably didn't expect him to start playing songs in situation like that, much less one like that. Ren didn't blame them. No one expected it from him.

He looked up at them.

"I guess I did. And I must thank you."

' _Arf arf_

_Yeah, yeah, yeah (Grrrr)'_

The first lines of song came out of his scroll.

Ren cracked his neck, and smirked.

"I needed to blow off some steam. It's nice of you to volunteer."

' _Uh, Yeah don't get it twisted_

_This rap shit, is mine'_

The song continued.

They looked at each other, and then, with angry shouts, charged forward. Ren smirked and charged too.

 _I wonder what Nora up too. I hope she is not giving Pyrrha too much trouble._ He thought, avoiding the first strike, and countering with an open palm strike to the chest.

* * *

"Awwwwwww it was such a waste of time. We learned nothing!" Exclaimed Nora, hanging from her teammate's neck.

"Well, it was just the first day. And it's not like we had any plan. Honestly, it would be a miracle if we learned anything at all. Things like that happen only in the movies." Said Pyrrha, chuckling at her friend's antics.

"I knowwwwwww. But Still I hoped we will find something. I wonder how rest are doing. I hope Renny is ok."

"I'm sure he is fine. Anyway, what do you want to do now? We go back, or continue searching?"

Nora got to her feet, and pulled her scroll checking something out for a few moments.

"Hmm… Still nothing."

"What?"

"There is still no report of a new victim. Or victims. There were none yesterday either."

Pyrrha hummed. Nora was right. Ever since last Monday, there were reports of new victims found everyday.

"Do you think they stopped for good?"

"Don't think so. The police are no closer to finding out who was behind this yesterday, than they were last Monday. So unless the murderer just randomly decided to quit, I'm sure he will be coming back soon."

Pyrrha nodded. That made sense. She really wished these murders would stop quickly as possible, and for very selfish - directly or indirectly, were putting strain on her team relations. And she hated that.

"Anyway, let's go back to Beacon. Maybe the others had more luck than us." She said aloud.

Nora considered her words for a moment. Just when Pyrrha though she would start arguing, her teammate nodded.

"I guess you are right. Maybe Renny is back already. I wonder what kind of pancakes he will make today.

* * *

He observed two girls walking away. It was obvious they were looking for him - and even though normally he would be thrilled to have such beautiful ladies after him, he had a feeling those two had less than pleasant intentions.

Really, he should have seen this coming. With the blond boy and the old man on his tail already, he knew more pursuers would come soon enough. For the moment, he had to lay low for a while - possibly even leave the city altogether.

Well, he was running low on his supplies and was planning on going out to gather some more anyway. Might as well do it now. Hopefully, by the time he was done, the heat would die down a bit.

* * *

**And that wraps up this week chapter. Jaune gets his well-deserved rest, our mysterious killer gets his ill-deserved rest. And both teams turned out to be not as oblivious as Jaune though they were (or hoped).**

**Oh, and in case you wonder - song Ren started playing is 'X gon give it to ya' by DMX**

**JJD: Not bad, but I'd argue Winter has a better playlist ;-)**

**Anyway, omake time:**

* * *

**Learning begins**

It was a peaceful day. Sun was shining, birds were singing, the delicate breeze ruffled blond locks of one Jaune arc, who was currently sailing through the air.

_The clouds are so beautiful today…_

He thought, right before his back slammed into a tree. Jaune slid down with a loud groan, but by now knew better than to stay in one place. He threw himself to the side, and was rewarded with the sound of a metal-reinforced boot slamming into the tree trunk, not his torso. He didn't have much time to celebrate though - he hastily rolled, avoiding a downward thrust to his stomach, and pushed himself up, facing his opponent in full.

Leon was already upon him, his sword swinging towards Jaune's head. The blond managed to block it, but the force of blow send him sprawling on the ground.

_Get back up, get back up!_

He didn't made it. The practice sword slammed into his solar plexus, knocking air out of him.

"Out already? Well, I guess this is it for today."

Jaune managed to stop coughing and staggered to his feet.

"No, I can still…"

The slash was slow, lazy even. Jaune could see it coming cleary, but his arms were just too heavy to lift them in time to block it. It wasn't a strong strike, more of little tap, but he still staggered and fell.

"Don't give me that bullshit Jaune. If you try to train when you are too hurt to move, you will only hurt yourself. We are taking break, end of discussion."

Jaune slumped to the ground, taking gulps of air. Leon's training was nothing like what he had done with his father, older sister, or by himself. He could feel his whole body to ache, pain from exhaustion and bruises combining in one overwhelming sensation. When Leon announced that now, almost two months after they started travelling together, it was time to start training seriously, Jaune was excited. Now, after about half an hour of constant beatdown - less so.

_Oh well, I knew that I couldn't afford to take it easy._

"Hey, Jaune…"

The blond looked up at his teacher.

"About dinner…"

Jaune smirked.

"Just give me a few moments to catch my breath."

Leon nodded and started preparing the campfire, humming some melody. Jaune shook his head with a smile, recalling the first time they camped together, and had to prepare their own food.

-/-

"What the hell is this?!" Jaune screamed, looking with utter disgust into his bowl.

His teacher looked up from his own and shugged.

"Food."

Jaune laughed nervously.

"No, no, no, no, this 'he pointed at his bowl,"is not food. This is abomination, calling it food is insult to every cook in all of Remnant!"

"Really?" Leon put another spoon full of the  _thing_  from his bowl inside his mouth and swallowed. Jaune barely stopped himself from vomiting.

"I think it turned out pretty good today."

All Jaune could do to was to stare.

"This is not good. It's utterly terrible." He stated finally. Jaune winced at Leon's hurt expression.

"If you don't like it, don't eat it. And if you think you can do better, you are welcome to try."

"You bet I can. And I will."

-/-

_Next day_

Jaune put down his bowl and let out a content sigh. The rabbit stew turned out pretty well. He probably wouldn't put it on his family's table, but considering what he had to work with, he was quite pleased with the outcome.

Jaune looked up at his teacher, who was holding a bowl of terrible abomination that he called food. He was eating it slowly, only from time to time glancing up at him.

He filled another bowl, and considered it for a second.

The blond boy briefly considered finishing it himself, but discarded the idea. He would be traveling with Leon for a long time, it was best to start building the friendship as soon as possible.

_Besides, he offered to train my useless ass so I can be Hunter,and didn't even asked for any payment. The least I can do is offer him some decent food._

"Wanna try it?" He asked, extending his bowl to Leon.

The older man looked up, genuinely surprised.

"You… I…"

He carefully extended his hand, taking the offered bowl. He was eating slowly, mulling every potion in his mouth far longer than necessary, before swallowing.

"Is something wrong?" Asked Jaune, a bit worried.

Leon looked up at him and shook his head.

"No, its good. Very good. I don't think I ever eaten something this good."

He paused for a moment, staring at his bowl, then looked up at June, an unreadable expression on his face.

"It's just that… I don't remember when was last time someone gave me food like that. It's… nice."

* * *

Jaune shook his head, and took taste of stew. It was rabbit today - just like that day. The blond boy smiled. There were still a lot of things he had to learn, both about, and from his teacher. Even now he wasn't sure why sharing food was such a big of a deal for Leon. But hey, man liked his cooking, and Jaune liked to cook. So at least he had something to offer, instead of just being dead weight.

* * *

**And here it is. A bit of character development for Leon, and the beginning of serious training for Jaune. I think it's high time I show at least parts of it, so this will be a theme for few following omakes. Just a quick note - they will not necessary be in chronological order.**


	15. Fear and Trust

**Welcome to Ch14 of TPA. As always, JJD made sure its readable.**

* * *

"Ok, so what did we learn? Yang?" Asked Ruby. It was late at night, and her team and JNPR gathered in team RWBY's dorm room. Well, the latter was without their leader - for obvious reasons.

"Nothing much. The police are very tight lipped about this. According to my sources, the number of reported victims match what they actually found, and they were all young girls just like reported. The only new thing I learned was that they hired a few Hunters to assist with the investigation. Apparently it was someone from Beacon last week, and now they've hired a few others."

"Blake?"

The black haired girl sighed.

"Same here. The web is full of conspiracy theories, every new one more crazy than the last. Because of this, there are tons of fake photos and videos. I only found two interesting things. One was post by someone who supposedly is an assistant of the coroner doing the autopsies of the victims. According to him, none of the victims had any sign of injury, so they suspect some kind of poison was used. But so far they haven't been able to confirm it."

She pulled out her scroll, browsing something for a few moments.

"The other thing I found was this." She said, placing it on table for everyone to see. It showed a map of Vale with several spots marked by an X and numbers from one to six next to each.

"The marks show where the victims were found, the numbers next to them - the day on which they were murdered. The ones with asterisks next to them indicates that corpse might have been from the previous day."

Everyone in the room looked at the map for a few moments.

"They are all over the place." Pyrrha noted.

"Yes. There is no way a single person could have traveled to all these places on their own."

Ren hummed.

"Maybe not impossible, but certainly very hard. Especially considering such a person wouldn't want to gather attention. I guess that makes the poison theory more plausible. If a slow acting one was used, the murderer could have applied it to several victims, and wouldn't have to stay close as it took effect."

"But why? What could anyone achieve be doing something like that?" Asked Ruby.

"There could be multiple reasons. An argument between lovers, money, jealousy, or they saw something they shouldn't and someone decided to silence them." Answered Blake.

Nora shook her head.

"None of that really fits. Most of the victims didn't know each other, had different backgrounds, went to different schools, and so on. Hell, two of them weren't even living in Vale - they were just visiting family."

"So either there is some kind of connection we don't know about, or the murderer is a psychopath." Said Ren.

There were a few moments of silence, where everyone was absorbing everything. The first one to speak up was Yang.

"So.. what did you learn Weiss? Any similarities between these murders and the ones in Atlas?"

"Yes, quite a few actually. Similar to this case, all the victims were young girls, between the ages of thirteen and seventeen. There were a few cases of the victims knowing each other, but there were little to no common traits shared between all of them. Similar to this case, the police weren't able to determine the cause of death, but they too suggested poison. If there was one big difference, it was that in Atlas murders seemed to be more… organized."

Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Organized?"

"Yes. That killing spree lasted for three weeks. Everyday, exactly two girls were killed. The first victims found where the daughters of the CEOs of some of the biggest companies in Atlas. From there killer seems to work down the social ladder. The last victims found where two orphans from an orphanage in one of the poorest parts of Atlas. Though the police officer I talked with suggested there might have been more victims among the homeless that simply weren't found."

"I see…" Ren nodded a few times, then looked up at the heiress.

"So, how does Jaune fit into all of this?"

Weiss let out a sigh and looked over the people gathered in the room.

"He and his teacher came to Atlas around one week after the murders started. I don't know if they were investigating them on their own, were working with the police, or their presence was just a coincidence. All I know was that they would often disappear in the city, and more often than not, they were back very late, and very tired. They left Atlas the same day the last victims were found, but long before the public announcement was made."

"Ok, let's recap what we know." Said Ruby, clapping her hands together.

"So, we have two murders cases, One from Atlas from around six months ago, and one happening now in Vale. In both cases all the victims were young girls, and there is little to no connections between them. In both cases the police had trouble identifying the cause of death, it was suggested poison might have been used. Based on all of this, I think we can assume that in both cases the killer is the same person."

"Unless the one from Atlas was caught." Said Blake, looking towards the heiress.

Weiss shook her head.

"I don't remember hearing anything about the one responsible being caught. And I'm sure it would be made public."

"In that case, I think It's safe to assume we are dealing with the same person."

"So now onto the next topic: what does Jaune have to do with all of this?" Asked Ruby.

Nora cleared her throat, and started counting off.

"Well, we know he was in Atlas during the first killing spree and left at the same time it ended. We also know he started to take odd jobs in Vale at the same time the murders started. And we know the police hired a Huntsman for help in this investigation - and someone from Beacon at that."

"It doesn't have to mean he was involved in any of this. It could be a coincidence." Pyrrha pointed out.

"Yes, but he did say that this was supposed to be a short job but it started to drag on. And that some additional help was hired this weekend. This would fit with what Junior said." Ren countered.

"It could also explain why he is so secretive about all of this. If he is working with the police, it would make sense he can't share details about his job." Blake added.

"I guess it makes sense..."

"By the way, what is he doing now?" Asked Ruby.

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not sure. But the localizator on his scroll indicates he is still in Beacon."

* * *

Jaune paused before one particular doors\, and looked around. The corridor was empty, not a soul around. Confirming that the coast was clear, he raised his hand and knocked.

"Hey, Peter can I come in?"

To most students' surprised delight, today's Grimm Studies class was canceled. Jaune was not surprised by that. Considering how bad his arm got corrupted, the older Witcher had to be in an even worse state. It was a given that he needed rest.

Jaune waited patiently in front of the door, even when he didn't receive a response.

_Is he sleeping already? It's not that late, but maybe he is just tired._

Just as he made to leave, the doors cracked open.

"Come in." A hoarse voice spoke.

Jaune did just that, and entered the dark room. He closed the doors behind himself, and took a closer look at his teacher.

Peter Port didn't look good. His right arm was hanging freely at his side, the old Hunter obviously not having enough strength to move it. His neck, and parts of the right side of his face were blackened, thankfully without red veins. His right eye had slightly reddish hue to it - though this might have just been Jaune's imagination.

Peter turned around, and started walking deeper into the room, signaling for Jaune to follow. He was cleary limping with his right leg, and had to support himself on the wall.

_Damn, this is worse than I thought._

Jaune wanted to say something, but noticed Peter stagger. He hurried to support the older man, and sat him in a nearby chair.

"Damn it Peter, you overdid it. Should have let me handle more of them on Saturday."

"Nonsense my boy. It's us old-timers duty to lessen the burden on you youngsters. Besides, I can afford to take a longer break, someone can always fill in for me. But you have classes to attend."

"Yeah, but…"

"No 'buts'. Anyway, what brings you here? I somehow doubt you come just to visit this old man."

Jaune smiled.

"Well partially, yes. I also brought some painkillers."

Peter managed to laugh a little.

"Thank you my boy. I already have some from our infirmary, but the herbal ones taste better. And are easier on the stomach, I hear. Well, this reminds me of this one time in Vacuo.." The older man paused and looked at Jaune.

"But I guess you're not here to listen to my stories. For real this time, what brings you to me Jaune?"

The blond boy let out a tired sigh, and sat on the sofa opposite of Peter.

"It's these murders. I… Did you heard about Atlas Massacre? From around six months ago?"

Peter nodded.

"Of course I did. When news hit about Harrowed spawning, and that the Atlas police was forming a Witcher team to deal with them, I was planning on going myself. Sadly, I was preoccupied with other tasks. Why do you ask?"

"I was part of that team. Well, technically Leon was, I was just tagging along. The point is… I didn't really get time to think about it earlier, with how busy I was, but now that I sat down and really gave it some thought... These two cases look kinda similar. But also… I don't know.."

Jaune ran a hand through his hair, eyes locked on his own feet.

"Similar to this case, the victims in Atlas were all young girls too. At least, I think they were."

"You think?"

Jaune rested his head on his hands, remaining silent for a few moments.

"Back in Atlas, it was a lot more… messy." He paused again for a few moments, then looked up at the older hunter.

"Peter, what would you say about victims this time? How they looked I mean?"

Port looked surprised at question. He hummed, stroking his chin.

"I would say… they looked normal. They were in as good a shape as a corpse can be. No external wounds, no profanation, nothing that would indicate they were in pan before death. They looked almost…" he paused for a few moments looking for the right word.

"Peaceful?" Jaune offered.

"Yes, I would say so."

After that, a silence fell between two men. Jaune looked lost in thought, his head hung low, while Peter watched him carefully. They just sat there, with pale moonlight as only thing brightening the dark room.

"Jaune?" The older Hunter asked when silence stretched for a few minutes.

"They were twisted Peter." The blond looked up at his companion. "The corpses. They were twisted beyond recognition. At least the first ones. We…" his voice hitched. Jaune swallowed and continued. "The first pair we found… we didn't even recognize that they were humans at first. They were just that twisted. Someone spotted a wristwatch that belonged to one of victims attached to one of these..  _things._ And that's how we knew."

Jaune paused again. They just sat there, in the dark, quiet room. Him staring at his feet, Peter staring at him.

"It was… I knew people can be monsters, but this..." Jaune took a deep, shuddering breath.

"And the Harrowed were different too. We had a few Ghouls, one or two Aberrations, and the rest were Wraiths. But they were all different. It was a total mess." He paused again. This time Peter remained silent too, waiting for the young man to speak on his own. When Jaune did so, his voice was quiet, very quiet.

"Near the end, we found a few of his hideouts Peter. There were cages in there. And cells. What we found in them…"Jaune took deep stuttering breath. He was visibly shaking.

"Some of them had Harrowed. Ghouls and wraiths. But a few had bodies. They looked like they stopped halfway between Ghoul and human. One team found some notes." The blond looked up at his teacher.

"He was doing it on purpose, Peter. These Harrowed… They didn't spawn as side-effect of him torturing people. He  _wanted_ them to spawn. The whole thing, all these murders, it was all some sick experiment."

"Jaune?"

"Yes?"

"You keep saying 'he'. From what I heard, the murderer's identity was never confirmed. Was that just the official story?"

"No, we…" Jaune paused and let out a tired sigh before continuing. "It wasn't a coincidence that me and Leon showed up in Atlas at that time. We were tracking this guy for a few months already. I… I once killed one of his 'experiments.' It was about year ago, not long since I made my Witcher sword. We took an escort job for some caravan, nothing big. It was going well, but we had to change route because the passage we were supposed to use was blocked by an avalanche. Leon sent me ahead, to inform people in the village we were heading to about our situation."

He paused, recalling old events. Eventually, he shook his head and continued.

"I overheard people talking about some monster appearing in the nearby woods. Apparently, some girl was killed there, and now people were seeing her ghost. A very violent ghost. I talked with a few towns folk, and figured out it was a Fire Wraith. Since it was still a few days before Leon would make it to town, I decided to go and take it out myself." Jaune paused again, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"It was the first time I killed a Harrowed without Leon. When he learned about it, for a few days after, he couldn't decide whether to praise me for a job well done, or scold me for taking unnecessary risk."

"A few months later, we were coming through the same village again. It was then that I met him. I went to check on the girl's grave, to make sure there were no complications. He was standing there, staring at the gravestone. At first I thought he was someone from the family, there to pay respect. We talked a bit. I remember thinking that he was a nice guy."

Jaune chuckled bitterly.

"Funny, how easily they can blend in, isn't it? I was standing,  _talking_ , with a monster far worse than any Harrowed or Grimm I've ever encountered, and I had no idea. I found out two days later. I saw him doing…  _something_ , to some other girl. I managed to stop him before it was too late, but he got away."

"Did you see his face? Could you provide a description?" Peter asked when it is clear the blond was done talking.

Jaune chuckled and shook his head.

"That's the funny part, you know? I did see his face. He was wearing a travelers robe, the long kind, with a hood, but when we talked, and then when I saw him trying to kill the other girl, his hood was down. But I can't describe it. I remember so many details from the second encounter. If I close my eyes, I see this scene as clearly as if I was there again. But I can't describe the bastard's face. It's not even that I don't remember it, it's just that the only word that comes to mind when I think about it, is 'normal'. I know I'll recognize him if I see him, but right now? You could show me any male, and I could say he looks similar to that guy."

"I see." Said Peter. The settled into silence again, each lost in his own thoughts.

"Jaune?"

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind me asking - how did the case in Atlas end? I heard some mixed reports."

"Remember when I told you that we found notes in one of the hideouts we busted?" Peter nodded.

"Well, it was more of a journal. Anyway, the police took them to have a look, they sent them to the Atlas military. They put a special team together to analyze every bit of information regarding the murders."

"Oh? That's a surprising amount of resources put into one investigation."

"Yeah, it turned out one of victims was good friends with the daughter of a high-ranking officer. Guy was apparently on good terms with several important people, and he was doing whatever he could to help find the killer. Anyway, they eventually figured something out, and made several teams stand around city on lookout. It paid off - one of the groups spotted someone suspicious, and they tailed him until they reached some abandoned warehouse. When they busted in, they found a hidden passage underground leading to the freakin lab. A fight broke out, there were a few explosions, and whole thing went up in flames. Everyone on that team made it out alive, and they sealed it up."

"You weren't there?"

Jaune shook his head.

"No. I was in bad shape back then, Leon made me sit this one out. Anyway, they managed to put together an investigation team, and sent them down there, but not much was left. They never found the body, but assumed it just incinerated."

"And you don't believe this?"

"I…I don't know. It's just that..." Jaune paused for a moment, then looked the older man in the eyes.

"I'm scared Peter. Terrified. Back then, when we first met. When he learned it was me who killed the Harrowed, he went mad. He acted as if I killed his family. He was calling me monster, murderer, and so on. At the end, when he was fleeing, he said he will 'make me suffer as much as I made him.' And I believed him. I still do."

"Back in Atlas, when Leon told me what happened at the end, I went there, to take a look at the place myself. I thought that maybe if I see it with my own eyes, I'll believe he's gone. But it didn't work. I still have nightmares. Most of them about what happened in Atlas, but sometimes I dream about what would happen if I was late back then, in the forest. And I'm scared. Scared that one day, it would be someone I cherish that I will have to release. My family, my friends. My team." He was shaking now, his hands clenched together so hard his Aura flared, protecting them from harm.

"I'm scared to tell them, because it might push them to try and find this guy themselves. And they might get hurt. I'm scared of keeping them in the dark, because this might leave them unprepared for when he comes. I'm just...scared."

Peter Port spent a few moments just looking at his student. He hated it. He hated it when people so young had to deal with things like this.

He hated fact that the only thing he could do for him was to offer advice.

"Do you trust them?"

Jaune looked up, surprised.

"Do you trust your team?" Peter repeated his question.

"Well, yeah. We known each other for only three weeks, but they all seem like great people."

"Would you trust them to have your back in a fight?"

"Of course. We fought together at initiation. I know it might be stupid, but…"

"Then hold onto that trust Jaune. Your team is there to have your back. You can't protect them by pushing them away, it will only harm the trust you have for each other."

"But... it's my problem. They have nothing to do with it. I can't just drag them into this."

Peter laughed.

"Nonsense my boy. It stopped being only your problem the moment when someone started to care about you. Which meant it was never only your problem."

"But, I can't…"

"You can, and you should Jaune. Think about it for a moment. If you try to deal with it on your own, and get hurt in the process, do you think they would thank you? Or will they be upset that you didn't trust them enough to let them have your back?"

Jaune sighed. The answer was obvious.

"By keeping them in the dark, you will just make them worry more. They might even end up doing something reckless out of concern. Something that will get them hurt, and you will not be there to help them, because you kept an unnecessary distance."

Jaune smiled and nodded.

"I guess you are right…"

"One more thing. I assume you didn't share any details about your work with them?"

"Of course not! It.."

"You should tell them."

"What!? But the contract…"

Peter sighed.

"I'm not saying to tell them every little detail. Just informing them that you work with the police as support on murder cases would be enough. Because if you don't say a thing, they will start to wonder, and worry. They will piece together what little info they have, and make assumptions - most of them probably wrong. And next thing you know, you wake up in some run down motel on the outskirts of Vale, naked, with new tattoo, goat in your bed, and your team preparing an intervention for you, because they think you are a drug dealer."

Jaune blinked a few times.

"What?"

Peter coughed and looked to the side.

"That is a story for another time. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that you don't have to be so strict about this secrecy clause. Sure, they will worry if they know that you are doing something dangerous, and they can't be there to help, but they will worry much more when they realize you are doing something dangerous, but don't know  _how_  dangerous it is, and why you don't bring them with you."

After Peter finished talking, both men again fell silent. Jaune lost in thought, with his head hung low as the older Hunter watched him. Eventually Jaune nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks for the talk Peter, it really helped me out."

"Ha! No need to thank me. I'm your teacher after all, it's my job to help my students."

Jaune smiled and got up.

"Well, I better get going. You need anything, before I go?"

"No, our school nurse should be coming along shortly."

"Then I wish you good night, Peter."

"You too, Jaune."

* * *

 

* * *

**And that wraps it up. Chapter shorter than usual, but its main purpose was as set up for what will be happening next.**

 

* * *

**Learning with Leon.**

"Dodge."

Jaune tried to do just that. He almost made it. Almost.

Leon's practice sword caught him in the shoulder. Jaune winced in pain, and tried to slam his shield into his teacher's face. Leon jumped back, as expected, but it did give Jaune a bit of breathing room. The blond raised his shield and eyed his opponent.

Leon was standing in what one could describe as a lazy stance. Legs slightly bent, left foot forward, and sword held low, with tip pointing towards ground. It looked as if older man was taunting his opponent, lowering his guard like that.

Once upon a time Jaune might have tried to take advantage of this opening. But now, after four months traveling with Leon, and over a month of intense sword training? He knew better than to take the bait.

By now he had some idea of how fast Leon was. Honestly, Jaune could barely follow his teacher's sword, and he was fairly sure the older man was holding back.

_Well, that is to be expected. He's been fighting for years, I've only been at it for three and a half months._

Jaune sighed and focused back on trying to figure out how to land a single hit on his teacher. He long since abandoned any hope of winning - that would happen only if Leon let him. Landing one hit though -that should be possible. Eventually.

_Now, what do I do? This is obviously bait, he leaves his upper body open to make me attack it, and follow up with a counter. But how…_

His thoughts came to end when Leon dashed towards him, sword already mid-swing. Jaune cursed, caught it on his shield, and tried to counter with a slash on his own. Leon managed to bring his own weapon back in time to deflect it, and countered with a stab.

The wooden blade collided with the steel shield, and the blond boy threw a stab on his own. It was swatted aside, and Jaune raised his shield to block follow up attack. But instead of a sword, his shield caught Leon's boot. The kick wasn't strong enough to send the blond boy flying, but it was strong enough to stagger him, and break his stance.

Jaune barely managed to deflect the follow up strike, but yet another kick sent him to the ground. He used the momentum to roll back and jumped to his feet, and then jump back a few times for good measure.

Leon looked up at him, his sword raised in preparation to stab at the spot where Jaune would have stopped otherwise.

"Good call." The Hunter said with a nod.

The blond boy managed weak smile.

"Thanks. Even I learn after I get hit by the same move over and over again."

Leon tilted his head to the side, and looked like he wanted to say something. But eventually he just shrugged, and took his stance. Jaune did the same.

_Well, I'm at my limit here. It looks like today's not the day I will be able to hit him._

He took a moment to analyze Leon's stance.

_Right foot forward, balde held low and pointing behind and downwards. Yep, another bit of bait._

Jaune sighed. He really wished his teacher at least pretended he was taking this seriously. He knew full well there is huge gap in skill between them, but it still hurt when Leon was showing off like that.

_Oh well, it's not like this matters. I might as well try and just charge in. It can't get any worse than all of my previous attempts._

Just before he moved, an idea struck him. He was exhausted, frustrated and hurting all over. There was no way for him to close the distance so fast that Leon would not be able to react in time. And his teacher knew all of that. So why not try to do a little baiting himself?

Jaune took deep breath, and with a roar charged at Leon. The older man just bent his knees a little more, and tightened his grip on his sword.

This had happened many times before. Jaune, frustrated with how easily he'd been beaten, would make a slow, reckless, and predictable charge, that Leon would counter easily.

But this time Jaune had a plan. He didn't try to charge at full speed -not that it changed much from Leon's perspective. But it allowed Jaune to backstep just in time to avoid upward slash, and then step in with a diagonal slash towards his teacher chest.

Jaune grinned. There was no time for Leon to step out of his reach. His sword was knocked aside, and even though Jaune noticed his teacher's arms moving to bring it down on him. With both of them starting their swings at roughly the same time, Jaune was sure he had the advantage since his sword was lighter - and that mean it was also faster, right?

He was proven wrong when the wooden longsword slammed into his wrist, causing him to drop his own weapon with a pained yelp. Before the blond could even think about what to do, the practice weapon blade pressed at his neck.

Jaune let out a sigh of both pain and frustration.

"I yield." He said

"Not a bad fight. You are getting better." Leon nodded, pulling his sword back.

"I guess. Now you almost have to try to beat my ass." He joked bitterly.

Leon tilted his head to the side, and considered his student for a moment. Jaune knew this look - his teacher often watched him like that after their spar ended, as if he was judging him. It always put Jaune on edge. Each time it happened he expected Leon to just state that he was done with teaching him, that he simply was not cut off for this. It never happened - in fact, his teacher usually didn't say a thing. But it didn't mean that it wouldn't happen eventually.

With another sigh, Jaune turned towards the camp, already thinking about what to do for a dinner. They still had some meat from the deer Leon hunted down last night, and a few eggs they found today.

"What did you expected?"

The sudden question made Jaune to pause, and look back to Leon.

Hsi teacher was still observing him, the same way he always did.

"What did you expect when you decided to come with me? That you would turn out to be good at something you have little to no practice with? That I'll make you best fighter in the world in a matter of weeks?"

Leon walked up to Jaune and looked him in the eyes.

"These things take time Jaune. You are behind everyone else, and you need time to catch up."

"I know!" The blond snapped. He was panting now, from both anger and frustration. He took a moment to calm himself down, head hung low.

"I know I'm bad at it. I know I need to work harder than anyone to catch up. It's just… frustrating." He said, his voice quiet now.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked up into Leon's eyes.

"I know Jaune. But trust me - you can do it. You  _are_  doing it. Your skills might not be on par with the average Combat prep school student your age, but you are fairly strong, and have good stamina. Your defense is quite good, and you are a quick thinker. So don't be so hard on yourself."

Jaune couldn't help but smile. He hadn't known him for long, but he and Leon got along pretty well in those four months. There was still a lot of things he didn't know about his teacher, but one thing was certain - he was not one for empty words. This was one of the reasons his praises always managed to lift Jaune's spirit. He knew they were genuine.

"Anyway, what's for dinner?" Leon asked.

Jaune laughed. How a grown up man could pull off puppy eyes almost as well as his younger sisters, he had no idea.

"I think I'll make scrambled eggs with some deer meat."

Leon's face split into a wide grin, and he hurried up to prepare a campfire. Jaune just shook his head.

_Well, I guess there is no point in getting frustrated over facts. I just have to work hard. Mom always said that key to success is patience._

"Hey, Leon?"

His teacher looked up from the pile of wood he was trying to set on fire.

"What is with this stances you take? When you hold your sword high above your head, or very low, with the blade pointing downwards, or behind you. I know they are just baits, but you said to never show off, and…" he trailed off, not sure how to finish. Leon did it for him.

"You think I just mock you by taking a 'cool' stance, just to show that you can't touch me even if I show off?"

Jaune blushed, and laughed nervously. Like always, Leon read him perfectly.

"Listen Jaune. Sword stances are not just for show, they are not meant to make you look cool. Though it is nice side-benefit. They are meant to open up some angles for attacks for you, and close some for your opponent. And in a real fight, you usually change between them all the time. It's not like in games, when you take x stance and you get plus ten to attack, and minus five to defense."

Jaune laughed and nodded.

He made to ask another question, but a loud rumbling made him pause. Both him and Leon looked down to their stomachs, and then back to each other.

"How about we leave this talk for later, and focus on getting food ready for now?" His teacher suggested.

"Sure thing." Jaune answered with a smile. There would be time to learn all of this later. But now? Now it was time for him to put years of cooking practice into good use.

* * *

**Here it is. Jaune continues his training, and learns about the importance of proper stance. Jaune's question here -'what is the point of stances?' - is something I get a lot when talking with people not familiar with proper sword fighting. Most people think they are there just to look cool, and that the only 'proper' one is when you hold sword in front of your body, in slightly bent hands.**

**Well, this particular stance is good for defending, but is very limited when it comes to attacking - the only good offensive move you can make from here is a thrust. Every other attack would require you to switch to another stance.**

**And here is another point. You usually don't spend too much time standing in a single stance - you switch them all the time. Most of them feel very natural, and are easy to switch between - once you learn them properly.**

**And lastly, I would like to discuss two stances Leon presented in this omake. First two terms you might have seen me using before, that I would like to clarify:**

**1)Weapon hand - refers to your dominant hand. So if you are right-handed, your right hand is your weapon hand, even if you are using a two-handed weapon.**

**2) Weapon Leg (or arms legs) - leg on the same side of the body that person's weapon arm. So for most people - the right one.**

**Now onto stances.**

**First one: either leg can be forward. Sword is held very low, usually between the legs, sometime to the side, with tip pointing towards the ground at around a 45 degree. This stance (or guard, as they are sometimes called) is called Fool's Stance, and is basically a trap. It leaves most of the body exposed, however you can very easily step out of the way of incoming attacks and counter, either towards the body, or their hands.**

**Second one : Arm leg is back, sword is held low, to the side, with tip pointing behind the wielder and towards ground. Blade is pointing towards opponent. This one's called 'near ward', or 'tail,' and, much as previous one, is a baiting stance. It looks like you are open, but it allows for an easy counter, and throwing very powerful attacks at several angles.**

**Both of these guards are also considered 'resting stances' - since your arms are held low, they don't tire as fast as in higher guards.**

**JJD: Much as Jaune learns, the secret to success is: Show up, Watch and Learn, Drill, Fight Good Guys, Get Ass Kicked, Sulk, Eat Banana, Get Over, It Repeat Cycle Until Bad Motherfucker**


	16. The Hunt Begins

**Welcome to ch 15. Edited as always by JJD.**

* * *

**Ch 15**

Two men stood in small, dim room. They were wearing long lab coats - one was pale green, the other white, and both covered in multiple, fresh stains. Neither of the men seemed to care though - both were fully focused on the table in front of them. There, on a specially prepared burner, stood three large beakers, each containing leaves and berries of various plants. Copper tubes connected every beaker to another, smaller one, which in turn was connected to various other beakers, flasks, distillation adapters, funnels, and other laboratory glassware.

At the end stood three round bottomed flasks, collecting the distilled form of whatever was boiling in three largest bakers. Each was filled with a differently colored, muddy liquid - green, red, and brown so dark it looked black.

Both men looked at each other, and nodded. The one with the pale green coat walked to the corner of the room, where simple shelves with held more laboratory glassware on them stood. He picked up one flask, and, after a moment of thought, two more.

The other man turned off the burners, waited a moment to let any remaining liquid drain out of the tubes, and then took all three flasks and moved to the other, smaller table. He accepted the flask from his collegue, filled it to about one fourth full with some transparent liquid, and then added green substance, filling flask to about halfway. Then, he closed it, and attached three tubes to the plug. One connected the flask to small distillation aperture. The other two were connected to the remaining flask.

Those were hung on metal support rack upside-down, allowing brown and red liquid to slowly drip down into the larger flask.

Satisfied with his work, he activated the burner and leaned on the wall, waiting.

After around twenty minutes, the distillation was complete. The beaker standing on the other end of the aperture was filled with a clear, dark-green liquid. Both men observed it for a moment, then looked at each other and nodded with a smile.

It looked like they had succeed. It's wasn't that it was a particularly hard procedure, but it was always nice to get it right on the first try. It wouldn't do to keep their companions waiting, would it?

The man in white coat carefully took a beaker out of aperture, and poured its content into two flasks. Then he turned to the only other occupants of the room.

The two young girls wore casual clothing, and were watching the two men's work with curiosity. They accepted the offered beakers, and after just a second of hesitation, took big gulps of whatever was inside.

Two startled gasps sounded in the room. Both girls looked at what they just drank with wide eyes.

"That…" One started.

"Is SO GOOD!" Nora shouted, jumping to her feet and squeezing Ren in a one-arm hug.

"Renny, we need to make more of this stuff! We can brand it, and sell it, and we will be rich, and then we could buy a big castle, fill it with sloths, and eat pancakes for the rest of our lives!" She exclaimed, finishing her drink, and throwing her glass away.

Pyrrha managed to catch it, and chuckled at her team's antics.

"I must agree with Nora. This is really good."

Jaune smiled, sitting next to his partner.

"Glad you liked it. So you on board with castle full of sloths too?"

She laughed.

"I think I'll pass on that one. How about you? Will you stay to serve our Pancake Queen as her knight?"

Jaune chuckled.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure she would prefer Ren for her personal knight. Besides, settling down like that is not for me. I'm more of a traveler type."

"Oh? But you can't travel all the time. You need to settle down eventually."

"Perhaps, one day. But it won't be anytime soon. It's bad enough I'll have to sit in one place for a whole four years."

After that exchange, they just sat in silence, observing as Nora spun around with Ren still held firmly in her hug, making bolder, and bolder plans for the future. They resident ninja took it all with his usual stoic expression.

"Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

Pyrrha raised her, now empty, flask.

"Why are we drinking from this? I'm pretty sure we have normal glasses somewhere."

Jaune hummed.

"It's cooler that way?"

Pyrrha chuckled and shook her head.

"By the way… this isn't anything alcoholic, right?"

The blond gasped in mock shock.

"Pyrrha! You think I would try to get two ladies drunk? How could you even suggest something like that!"

"I'm sorry! I will never doubt you like that again!" She mock-cried.

Jaune huffed.

"You better see to it that you don't. Otherwise I would need to take some disciplinary actions."

"Won't there be any disciplinary actions for you and Ren stealing school equipment?" She teased, gesturing at various laboratory equipment now stored in the room.

"Hey! We didn't steal anything, we just borrowed it. And Beacon regulations clearly state that every student has the right to use all schools equipment for studying purposes. Well, me and Ren are studying herbalism, and we needed laboratory equipment. So we helped ourselves to some. It was mostly gathering dust anyway."

Pyrrha raised a single eyebrow.

"And does anyone from the staff know about this?"

"Peter." Was Jaune's instant reply.

Pyrrha chuckled.

"Yeah, I should have figured. What's happening with him anyway? I haven't seen him the whole week."

"He overworked himself. He should be back on his feet next week."

"I see."

Pyrrha let out a content sigh. It was a nice Friday afternoon. Classes end early, she got to thrash on Cardin's cronies in combat class, and her partner didn't look like he was about to run off to do some shady job.

 _Well, not so shady, I guess._ She thought, recalling what happened earlier in the week.

Last Wednesday Jaune gathered both teams and explained what he was up to for last week. True to their suspicions, he was working with the police. He explained the reason Hunters were hired, was because there was a suspicion that killer was an Aura user. He couldn't tell if this was the same killer from Atlas - though if his expression when they asked was anything to go by, he hoped that was not the case.

There were no more murders - at least none that were reported, and judging by the fact Jaune stopped going out late at night, Pyrrha hoped that things would return to normal.

After Nora finally calmed down, they decided to go grab something to eat, and then do their homework. They were joined by team RWBY along the way, and as usual they sat together, chatting and joking.

Pyrrha tensed a little when she heard Jaune's scroll ringing, but had to stifle laughter at her partner's expression. He was staring at device like it suddenly turned into a Deathstalker. After a moment, he opened it up with heavy sigh - and then immediately smiled.

"Hey Tob, what's up?" He greeted.

Pyrrha smiled. From the few talks they had over the past three weeks, she knew this Tob was someone very important to Jaune - family, or maybe a close friend. She returned to her meal, half listening to the conversation at table. It was so peaceful, so… normal.

It all shattered with the sound of breaking glass.

Pyrrha turned to source of the sound - her partner, She took notice of his clenched fist, wet with water, and the pieces of glass he shattered lying everywhere. She looked up, mouth already open to ask what happened.

She paused when she saw his face.

Fury. That was only word that could describe his expression. There was hint of fear, and shock, for a fleeting moment, but it all gave way to pure, unadulterated fury.

"Jaune?" Nora reached to touch his arm, cleary worried.

They teamleader either didn't hear, or ignored her. He was sitting there, listening to his scroll, and shaking more and more with every passing moment.

"I'll be right there." He said after what felt like an eternity - but in fact were only a few seconds.

"Jaune, what…" Pyrrha started, but she too went ignored. Jaune got up, and without saying a word, turned around and stormed out of the cafeteria. After just a moment of hesitation, both teams followed him.

* * *

_It's him. It's really him._

Was only thought running through Jaune head, as he sprinted towards bullhead docks. He was vaguely aware of both RWBY and his own team following him, but it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered to him was the photo he received on his scroll. It wasn't of good quality, and the face of man on it was partially covered by a hood, but it was enough for Jaune to recognize him.

It was the same man. The same person, no, monster, responsible for creating all the Harrowed back in Atlas. The same man that he spent the better part of the last two years chasing around. The same man responsible for murdering that girl in Heartshatter Ridge. And the same man that….

_No. Stop._

He ordered himself. Recalling that event wouldn't help him any in this situation. He needed to focus.

He made it to the landing docks and started heading to the closest bullhead, fully intending to force the pilot to fly, or even steal the vehicle. Fortunately for both him and pilot, someone called out to him, from very close, and in voice so commanding, that he pause don pure instinct.

"Mr. Arc."

"Headmaster." He said, bowing his head slightly.

Ozpin wasn't smiling, didn't even have his signature coffee mug.

"I take it you were informed of the situation?"

"Yes. At least partially. I was on my way to the meeting point in Vale."

"Before you go, I have to ask. I was made aware that your condition was rather bad after last week. Are you…?"

"I'm fine. Could use week or two more rest, but right now I'm capable of combat, Not at one hundred percent, but I can still take out two or three without much risk."

"I see. Unfortunately Peter is not in any shape to help us, and the situation is serious enough that we need every Witcher we can get ahold of. Now, follow me." Ozpin turned around and started walking, without even looking back to see if Jaune followed him.

"Sir, If I may. The message I received was rather vague. Could you provide any additional details?"

"You will learn everything you need to know on the way. This bullhead." Ozpin said, pointing on the one machine that was already mostly full, and hovering slightly over the ground, ready to take off at any moment." will take you straight to your operating area. There are six Hunters and another Witcher that will act as team lead. All the Hunters on board have some experience in dealing with Harrowed, but lack the proper… equipment to deal with current situation."

"Speaking of equipment..."

"It's already on board."

"I see." They made it to the bullhead, and Jaune nodded to the headmaster. "Then I'll be on my way."

"Good luck. And Jaune?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful. And don't let your emotions get the better of you."

"I will be. And I won't."

After that, Jaune boarded the bullhead. The aircraft took off before he even had a chance to strap himself in properly.

* * *

"Have you seen him?" Asked Pyrrha, looking frantically around. They lost Jaune pretty quickly in the crowd, which wasn't surprising in itself - there were far more people running around, most of them looked like forth years. The red haired champion briefly wondered what this was about, but dropped such thoughts. That wasn't important right now. Finding Jaune was.

"No, but I'm fairly sure he went towards the bullhead docks." Answered Yang, working hard to push herself through the crowd.

"How can you know?"

"Well, considering the state he was in, I somehow doubt he went to the library to read something."

 _Damn, she is right._ Pyrrha thought.

"I agree. Beside, this crowd seems to be going in that direction. That means there is some kind of trouble, and the dunce is almost certainly a part of it." Said Weiss. She looked worried, perhaps more than any of them. And this made the red haired champion even more uneasy.

The heiress knew her partner from before, and was with him when he was part of the investigation team of the murders in Atlas. And from what she said, and her reaction whenever they brought it up - something must have happened to Jaune back then.

Pyrrha recalled Jaune's reaction to the call he received and shivered. She'd never seen so much hatred on someone's face. Her partner looked like he was ready to murder someone right then and there.

"Damn, what's up with this crowd? Is there some concert in Vale that I don't know about?" Yang growled, when they reached Beacon main door. They were stuck in a glut of people.

She got her answer soon enough, when Glynda Goodwitch's voice flowed from the school's announcement system.

"Attention all students! We have an emergency situation. All first and second years are requested to remain in their rooms. Selected third-and fourth year teams are to report to the bullhead docks. I repeat, all first and second…"

Ruby looked over her friends, cleary worried.

"Emergency situation? What do they mean by emergency situation?"

"According to this site." Said Blake, showing the rest of them her scroll," there was a Grimm attack on a settlement not far from Vale."

"What?!" They all crowded the black haired girl, trying to see her scroll.

"How? When? Are there any casualties?" The questions flowed one after another.

"I don't know. There are a lot of conflicting messages. Some say it's a whole horde, others that only a few slipped through the wall. No one knows anything for sure."

"So that means attack had to happen recently." Said Ren.

Ruby looked around, cleary nervous.

"That makes sense, but how did Jaune learn about it first? He was talking with someone through scroll just before he ran off. You think it might have something to do with the murders?"

Weiss spared a single glance at crowd still blocking door and winced.

"Maybe?" She said, turning back to her partner." If a lot of people were killed in some small settlement, the negativity might have been enough to summon Grimm."

Nora gasped

"Wait, doesn't his family live in some village outside of Vale? You think it might be the same place?"

They looked at each other, expressions grim.

Ren placed hand on Nora's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

"That is certainly possible, especially if we take into account his reaction. But let's not jump to conclusions. We should find him, and ask what happened before we decide what to do next."

"But where is he? I can't see him anywhere!" Whined Ruby.

"There!" Shouted Blake, pointing through a window.

Sure enough, they could spot familiar mop of blonde hair. Jaune seemed to push through the crowd, without even noticing the other people. But he suddenly stopped and turned when another figure approached him.

Blake's eyes narrowed when she recognized who it was.

"Is that.. Headmaster Ozpin?"

"Sure looks like it." Said Yang. "And it doesn't look like he is scolding him, or telling him to go back…" she trailed off.

True to her words, after a brief moment, Ozpin started walking towards the bullhead docks, Jaune in tow.

"What was that about? Didn't they say for all first years to stay in the dorms?"

She shook her head and turned towards Pyrrha.

"Hey P.."

Was all she managed to say before realizing that the red haired champion wasn't standing next to her anymore. Instead she opened the window, jumped out, and was now sprinting towards her partner.

Moments later she was joined by Nora, who dragged Ren behind her, and Ruby.

Yang looked over her reaming teammates. They shrugged, and all three girls followed the leader.

* * *

Ozpin sighed and steeled his resolve for what was about to happen. Seven students were running towards him at full speed. They stopped when the bullhead behind him took off. He knew full well why they came here, and what would happen in just a moment.

"Headmaster Ozpin? What is going on?" Asked Ruby Rose. Young, but skilled, and as passionate as her mother. He had no doubt she will become splendid Huntress in time. And that she would give him as much of a headache as her mother during her stay here at Beacon.

"Like I'm sure you've heard, there is a bit of an emergency. The situation is already mostly under control, so it's nothing you should concern yourselves with."

"With all due respect sir, I believe it IS our concern." Said Pyrrha Nikos, earning a few nods of approval from her friends. The usually polite girl hnd a very determined expression on her face.

"Oh? And why do you think so, miss Nikos?"

The red haired girl pointed at the now barely visible bullhead behind him.

"Because our team leader, and my partner is apparently involved in this."

_I guess, she has a point..._

"Mr. Arc, was included in this operation because he was not only previously involved in the investigation of the person we believe is responsible for the current situation, but also because of his particular set of skills. Like I said, it's not something you should get involved with."

 _And I immediately regret saying that._ He thought

If he was right about the seven people in front of him - and after several centuries he'd gotten rather good at reading people - telling them to not get involved in something would only make them want to get involved even more.

"I understand sir." Lee Ren said, stepping forward. Ozpin smiled.

_Ah, it's so nice to see a young, but reasonable man._

"But I must agree with Pyrrha. We are a team, and as such, we should stick together. If Jaune is out there, fighting, it's our duty to stand by his side."

Ozpin shook his head.

_Well, at least he's making good point._

"I understand your concern, but I'm afraid you will not be able to assist mr. Arc with what he is doing."

"Sir.." Ruby began, but was instantly interrupted.

"That is enough" Ozpin said firmly. "I understand, and admire you willingness to stand by your friend's side, even in a dangerous situation. But I'll put it bluntly - if you go out there, you will be just a hindrance. None of you have the knowledge, experience, or equipment necessary to do what mr. Arc is doing. Had you gone with him, you would only be getting in his, and the other hired professionals', way."

Yang huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sir, I don't think anyone here is less skilled that Jaune. Whatever he can handle, we can handle too."

"Perhaps but this is not a situation to test it. And this discussion so over. Return to your rooms. That is not a request." Ozpin said firmly, staring them down.

They looked like they wanted to argue, but eventually relented.

"They will try something, you know that right?" A new voice sounded behind him.

Ozpin smiled and turned to his old friend.

"I know."

"Wouldn't it be better to let them at least observe?"

"Maybe. But this situation is too much of a mess. Sending seven inexperienced, and hot headed students out there could easily lead to trouble."

"Yet you sent mr. Arc. You know this is personal for him."

Ozpin let out a tired sigh.

"I know. But he is also well trained, and…"

"Professional?"

"Yes. I believe he will be able to keep his emotions in check. If for no other reason than because it's his best bet to reach his goal."

There were a few moments of silence between the two men, each lost in his own thoughts.

Oobleck was the one who spoke first.

"But should we really allow him to do it? He is still a child."

"He spent four years in the Wilds. He is child no more my friend. And besides, we have little choice in the matter. We have the means to control his friends. But Jaune? If we try to stop him, I fear he might go as far as leaving Beacon. The Company will offer him all the support he needs to chase this man down. There is a standing bounty on his head after all."

"So the best thing we can do is keep an eye on him, so he won't get into more trouble than necessary?"

"I'm afraid so."

* * *

"So, you are the second Witcher, huh?" Jaune looked at the older man who spoke. He recognized him - he and Leon often worked with him when they visited Atlas.

"Wait, aren't you that kid that hangs around with Leon?"

"The same. But I'm on my own now. Been for over six months."

"Ha, I knew I recognized you from somewhere. Anyway, since I was made leader of you youngsters, I guess I should do some debriefing, or something." He huffed, cleary annoyed, and pulled out out his scroll, checking something for a few moments.

"Ok, listen carefully you newbees. We will be touching down in some shithole not far from Vale."

"Does it have a name?" Asked one of Hunters, a black haired man in his early thirties.

"It has, but no one gives a fuck. It's not important. What is important, is that there is a Harrowed infestation there, one big enough to be a threat to Vale itself." He tapped a few buttons, and his scroll projected a holographic image of their target. It was a rather large village, more of small city.

"We will be touching down near the north gate. There are three other teams, already on the ground, who will start from the other gates. Our mission is to clear all the Harrowed from the city. Not single one of those fuckers can leave and get even close to Vale."

"What are we looking at in terms of threats?"

"At least ten Wraiths, possibly one Aberration. And shitload of Ghouls. According to the latest reports, at least sixty, to seventy percent of the population were turned. No one has any idea how, but it doesn't matter right now. It's not our job to figure it out, but to clean this mess up before it gets any bigger."

"Are there any Grimm in the area?" Asked a very young looking girl, with short, brown hair.

"Not a word about it the in reports, but you can be sure they will appear sooner or later."

He looked over the people gathered in bullhead, then focused on Jaune.

"You kid, I heard you were dealing with Sleepers for the whole week. I assume that means you can see them when they sleep?"

"Yeah."

"Good. So here is how we play this. There are two confirmed Wraiths near our LZ, here and here." He said, pointing to two small houses near the walls. "Once we land and clear any immediate threats, you are to go straight for them.."

Jaune nodded.

"Understood."

The man smiled and nodded back to him. Then he looked over the other people sitting in the bullhead, and sighed.

"Ok, as for you lot - I was told you are not new to this shit, but I'll just say it so we are on the same page. You might be experienced Hunters, but Harrowed are different from Grimm. Do not engage Wraiths on your own, those things are tricky as hell to deal with, and you do not have the equipment to deal with them properly. When fighting Ghouls, focus on crippling them, and let me or this youngster finish the job. Kill them only if you have to, and for the love of everything that you believe in, do not destroy the body. They will just turn into a Wraith, and we will be in even deeper shit. That means no explosives - I am clear?"

"Yes, sir."

He scoffed.

"Yeah sure. One more thing - I know you might be tempted to go and look for survivors. But don't bother. Most people gathered in mayor's house when the outbreak started. Stick together, don't wander off,  _especially_  if you hear some strange noises, like crying, or singing. No one could survive on the streets, especially little kids. If you see one - better shoot first, then shoot again, and then call for me or the youngster to make sure it's really dead. If you feel soft, you can make a warning shot, but I wouldn't advise it. Now, get your gear ready, we are touching down in five. " He turned to Jaune, and pulled long, metal container from behind his seat.

"Kid, I believe this is yours."

Jaune took offered case, deactivated the lock, and pulled Eclipse from inside.

"Get ready, we are almost there." Shouted the pilot. Jaune looked through one of the windows and winced. They were flying over the city, and at low altitude at that. He could clearly see multiple dark shapes running through the streets.

And bodies. Lots and lots of bodies.

His fist tightened.

_Is this his doing? This is on a much bigger scale than anything he's done before. Or maybe we just never found out._

He shook his head. It was no time to overthink things.

T bullhead slowed down, and stopped, around three meters above ground. They all jumped out without hesitation, weapons ready.

Severals Ghouls were already rushing towards them.

"Grimm, forest, five o'clock." Someone shouted.

Jaune spared a quick glance behind him. Sure enough - a pack of around eight Beowolves were walking out of the forest. They were not attacking, but that was bound to change soon.

Their leader spat to the side, pulled a revolver and shot six times, taking down Grimm with every bullet.

"Push to the gate, we will defend there. Clay, Ori, go with youngster, cover him when he's dealing with the Sleepers."

One of the Hunters pulled his own gun, and killed the two remaining Beowolves. Then they ran towards the incoming Ghouls.

It was time to begin the hunt.

* * *

**Well, this is it. Not much to say here, just that things are getting messy. Jaune obviously has some personal grudge towards our mysterious killer, and his friends still haven't to figure out what he is doing.**

 

* * *

**Open for Business**

Sam sighed as she looked over the dilapidated entrance to the studio.

_Well, this is disappointing._

'Pierre's Studio of Dance and the Arts' was supposed to THE premier studio in Vale. The teacher was rumored to be…eccentric, but incredibly talented, a true master of the art.

She shrugged.

_Might as well try it to go in I guess._

She jiggled the handle on the flimsy wood and glass door and found it locked. She looked up to the 'We're Open for Business' sign on hanging on the other side on the glass.

_Well, in for a penny…_

A rough shove of her shoulder forced the cheap door open.

The first thing to assault her was the high-pitched whine of the alarm going off in response to her…improvised entrance.

The second thing was the smell. A rank combination of dirty laundry and stale booze.

_What the hell is wrong with this guy?_

The sound of shifting bottles and stumbling feet reached her ears.

"Wha 'da 'ell?" She heard a voice groan, as it stumbled its way towards the main entrance.

_Ok girl, this is it, you're about to meet him!_

The man that hobbled into her field of vision was nothing like what she imagined THE Pierre was supposed to be. Pierre was graceful, elegant, and refined.

This man was balding, overweight, and stunk to high heaven.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked.

He blinked in surprise.

"Eye believe dat iz my question."

"This is supposed to be Pierre's dance studio." She pressed.

"Eye know! It's my studio! Ew broke in!" He shot back angrily.

"Sign said you were open." She deadpanned.

He scoffed. "Do ew know 'ow early it iz? No one iz open!"

"It's two in the afternoon."

"So 'at gives ew da right to bust in?"

She placed a hand on her hip and smirked at him. "Yeah, sign said you were open."

He shook his head. "Ew crazie girlie. Wha' do ew want?"

She threw her head back condescendingly. "I WANT you to take a shower, then clean up this pigsty. We've got work to do."

"An wha' gives ew da right to demand anything?"

"I'm your client, your ONLY client, and you're going to teach me to dance."

He shook his head. "Eye don' do 'at anymore. I'll give ew a reference."

She scoffed. "I'm not looking for a reference, I'm looking for THE Pierre. He's supposed to be the best, seen him around?"

He gestured to himself. "Do eye look like da bes?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You look like a bum, but as a certain blond has taught me, looks can be deceiving."

He sighed. "Wha' de 'ell do ew want from me? I'm all washed up."

"Pierre the dancer might be, but not Pierre the instructor." She corrected. "I'm going to be a dancer, and you ARE going to help me."

"Who de 'ell are ew?" He asked incredulously.

She placed a hand on her chest. "I am Samantha Birger." She stated proudly.

She walked over to him and poked a finger in his chest, causing him to stumble back.

"You are Pierre Fleur, my dance instructor."

She motioned to the rundown studio.

"This is our dance academy."

She grabbed his collar and pulled him forward.

"And class starts today."

He swallowed. "An wha' makes ew think dat?"

She leaned forward and smirked. "The sign said you were open."


	17. City of the Damned

**Ch 16**

The Ghoul let out a half roar, half screech, before jumping at the human in front of him. This proved to be a mistake, since being airborne prevented it from dodging the black sword that pierced its chest. It jerked a few times, then stilled, its black skin turning pale white.

"You sure you can keep this up? You still have those Wraiths to take out." Jaune looked up at the man who just spoke.

Clay was an older man, around mid-thirties. His weapon was an odd mix between sword and polearm, with around a meter and half handle, and a double edged blade with the same length.

True to their leader's words, he didn't seem fazed at all by the Ghouls, or the way their bodies changed when Jaune purged them. In fact, after crippling a beast, usually removing all their limbs in three quick strikes, he stopped paying any attention to them, trusting Jaune will do his part of the job.

Jaune pulled Eclipse out of a now human corpse, and shrugged.

"Yeah. Ghouls barely have any Aura left in them. Could kill a hundred, and I would be ok."

"If you say so. Just don't overdo it, we can leave these fuckers for others. We need you to take out those Sleepers."

Jaune nodded.

"Yeah. Anyway kiddo, aren't you a bit young for a Witcher? You sure you up to the task?" Asked Ori. He was a massive man. Not nearly as big as Tob, but still impressive. He wielded a...thing… that was probably supposed to be a battle axe. Jaune wasn't sure - there was so many mech-shifting elements, and it changed shapes so often it was really hard to tell.

"Old enough. Killed my share of Harrowed too."

"If you say so…" He grunted, catching another Ghoul mid-air by its neck. The beast flailed its limbs trying desperately to reach the human holding it. Its struggle mostly came to an end when he removed both its legs and an arm. Some of creature's blood splashed at him, but the Hunter didn't seem to mind. He tossed the mostly crippled creature behind him.

It landed heavily, spilling more of its blood, bounced off the ground few a times and stopped about half a meter from Jaune. The blond sighed, and walked to the dying beast. The Ghoul tried to lash out with its only remaining arm. Eclipse removed it near the shoulder, before piercing its back, pinning the creature to the ground.

"Anyway, how do you know the old man?"

"Me and my teacher worked with him a few times."

Ori scanned their surroundings, and confirming there were no threats, he turned to Jaune.

"Teacher? I thought you were from Beacon."

Jaune smirked.

"I am now. But I was on the road for the past four years - just me and Leon."

"Oh." The older Hunter shrugged. "Then I guess you know your shit after all. Just do me a favor, and don't fuck up with those Sleepers.. Fuckers creeps me the hell out."

"Really?" Asked Jaune, walking towards the two older men. "Why?"

Ori winced, and took his place at the front of their formation.

"Because you can't kill the fuckers with normal weapons. I chop its head off, and it just reforms. I split the bastard in half, and it just comes back together. And even when I put it down, it comes back after a few months. Freaking creeps."

Jaune snorted.

"Yeah, I'll admit Wraiths are annoying. But you could always make yourself proper weapon to deal with them. It's not like you need a special licence for it." He said, lifting Eclipse for emphasis.

Ori looked back, eyed the black sword as if it was a poisonous snake and the snorted.

"Yeah, no thanks. I saw what that shit does to people. No way in hell I'm carrying something like that around."

Jaune shrugged.

"Whatever you say."

From then they walked in silence. Ori in front, Jaune in the middle, and Clay covering their backs. They would stop from time to time, to check the city map on their scrolls.

"Ok, it looks like this is the place. You ready, kid?" The massive Hunter asked, nodding towards one particular house.

Jaune checked his own scroll, and after confirming it truly was the right place, nodded.

"Sure. You guys try to stay around fifty meters away."

Both Hunters nodded, and took their positions. Clay continued observing the road in the direction they came from. Ori was keeping watch over the Wraith lair, and the other end of street.

Jaune walked towards the building sparing only a few glances around. They cleared most of the Ghouls in this area, and the second group was doing a good job of drawing the attention of those that remained.

He picked two Elixirs from his belt,and drank both. It took a bit longer than usual to stabilize them - but that was to be expected.

When he reached door, he slowly peeked inside. Just because he was certain the area was clear of Ghouls didn't mean he would just rush in like an idiot.

_Well, I guess I know what happened to the people who lived there._

Jaune through, noticing the half-eaten male body in the middle of the room. There was a second one not far from it, much smaller, and mutilated to the point it was impossible to determine who it was.

_So father and child died together._

He paused over the larger body, looking it over. There were multiple claw and teeth marks on it, but they weren't too deep, and most of the bones were relatively intact.

_Whatever killed him had rather small, round claws. Not very sharp. Teeth weren't too big too either. Probably killed by a very young Ghoul._

He rose up, and made to walk further in, but paused. Something wasn't right here. He examined the larger body again, then checked out smaller one. Nothing strange about them - besides the fact that they were dead.

He looked the room over, but nothing caught his attention. Jaune took a few steps back, and looked at the bodies again. Something about them was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

And then it struck him.

_So the big guy, probably the father, was running with child in his arms. He tripped, or was tripped by something. He drops the child, and rolls on his back to try to either break free, or stall his attacker, so kid can get away. It didn't work out - he either died fast, or there was a second attacker._

Jaune nodded to himself. He could picture this scene easily. The family was spending time together in the living room, perhaps watching TV. Suddenly a Harrowed outbreak starts, and Ghouls break into the house. Parents try to carry their children to safety. The beasts catches the father, who drops the child,and tries to buy time for his family to escape, but more monsters pour in.

Yes, that made sense. There were only two problems.

All the windows Jaune could see were intact. The doors were clearly blown open by force - but from the  _inside_. And judging by position of the bodies - they were running  _towards_ them, and never made it.

Which left only one option - a Ghoul spawned here, in this house. There were no way that the family living there didn't notice a dead body lying around long enough for a Ghoul to spawn.

_This doesn't make any sense. How could it spawn in such a small house, without anyone noticing?_

Jaune winced recalling one job from Vacuo.

_Unless they kept one as a pet._

He shook his head. There was no way they could hide something like that, not with so many people living around. Someone would notice something.

Jaune scoffed, and pierced both bodies with Eclipse, just to make sure they would not be going to be getting up anytime soon.

It didn't take him long to check the first floor of the house, and besides a few bloodstains, and stairs leading up, and one more set leading down, he found nothing.

_Now, up or down? Sleep Eater is probably in the basement. They prefer dark places,and it's still bright outside._

After some brief consideration, Jaune decided to check out the rest of the house before heading downstairs. Better to make sure he didn't leave any hostiles behind, before what could be a hard fight.

The first thing he noticed when he reached the second floor was the smell. Surprisingly it wasn't blood -though he could make that out too. No, this smell was quite pleasant.

The second thing he noticed, was the open door to one room - and the quiet scraping noise coming from it.

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

_Ghoul? It should have been drawn out by all the noise we made._

He readied Eclipse, and started slowly making his way towards the open door. Just before he reached it he paused.

_Now, how should I tackle this one? Burst in and try to overwhelm it, or try to sneak up on it?_

After some brief consideration, and recalling how his last few attempts to sneak up on his prey went, he made his decision.

_Guess it's time to accept I'm not exactly the sneaky type._

Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he burst into the small room.

Surprisingly, first thing he noticed wasn't a hideous beast trying to bite his face off, but the fact that the herbals scent was much stronger here. A quick glance over the room revealed several small scented candles. Most of them went out, but a few were still burning.

The second thing was that the room was small, and in very good condition. Nothing was broken, no claw marks on walls, and no corpses or bloodstains.

Jaune frowned, but didn't let his guard down. He was long past a point when he could believe his senses were playing tricks on him, especially when he enhanced them with an Elixir. If he heard the sound of something scratching a wooden surface coming from this room, then that meant there  _was_  something scratching a wooden surface in this room. Or at least he would assume so, until proven otherwise.

He spent a few moments listening, and eventually heard the sound again. It came from one of the corners of the room, where a sizable wooden box stood. Smiling clouds, suns, and various animals were painted on its side in bright colors.

_It's a bit too big for toy box, unless the kid had very impressive collection._

Slowly making his way towards it, Jaune noticed that there was no lid. Eventually, he made his way close enough to peek inside.

Small.

That is only thought in his head, as he gazed at the Ghoul inside the bed. For it was a bed, one of those high-wall types, meant for small children.

And what was once an infant, probably not even a year old, resided inside. Jaune stared at it for a few moments, watching as it clumsy moved around, scraping at the wooden walls with its tiny claws, sometimes trying to stand up and falling. It eventually noticed him, and started letting out strange noises, something between a growl and a giggle, flailing its tiny arms around.

Jaune took a deep breath, and slowly, to not the damage tiny body more than absolutely necessary, thrust Eclipse through its torso, nearly splitting it in half.

The Ghoul looked down at the black blade that pierced it, then looked back at him, and continued to let out the noise, arms still reaching to him, and moving slightly, even as blood poured from its wound. It took far longer than it should, but eventually its tiny arms fell to the side, its head hung low, and one last, quiet whimper escaped its lips.

Jaune took a deep breath, the subtle herbal scent not doing anything to calm his nerves, quite the opposite. He scowled and put out all of the remaining candles. Then he turned around, and without looking back, he walked out, heading straight to cellar.

There were two female corpses there, one, belonging to a young girl, probably around fifteen, that didn't had any visible injuries. The corpse of the older woman was dried up, as if all moisture from it was drained out. The Harrowed hovering over them was just a regular Wraith, barley formed.

Not even minute later Jaune walked out of house, his face set in stone.

"Job done. Let's head for the next mark." He said, when Ori asked him how it went. He nodded, and took his place on the front of their small group, focused on the road ahead of them.

_I hope the next Wraith is tougher. I really need to blow off some steam._

* * *

_Fuck._

Jaune ducked, avoiding a lampost. He could feel it ruffling his hair for a split of second, before it embedded itself into the wall behind him.

_Crap._

He rolled to the side, avoiding a brick the size of of his fist, shattering where his head was just a moment ago.

_Shit._

He almost made it out of the way of the table. It caught him in the arm. It staggered him for just a moment, but it was enough for a rock the size of his head to slam into his chest. He barely registered that he was hit, before his back slammed into a tree nearly ten meters away. He groaned, but thankfully the attack didn't do much more than knock the air out of him, his armor absorbing most of the impact..

He send his silent thanks Weiss, who set it up for him to… 'field test' the HIDE armor.

With a huff he got up - and instantly threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the next projectile.

It hit the tree hard, groaned, and slumped down.

"You could have caught me, you asshole." Ori complained.

"Sorry, acted on reflexes." Answered Jaune, not even looking at the man - and not feeling sorry at all. All his attention was focused on their opponent - a glowing ball, about the size of soccer ball, floating about fifteen meters away from them and two meters above the ground.

It changed color from red, to brown, then to green and back to red. It started glowing brightly, a few red sparks shooting out of it. Then it ended, its color shifting to grey.

Jaune relaxed a bit.

"What the flying fuck is this shit?" Ori wheezed, slowly rising up, using his weapon as support.

"Warper. It's a type of Wraith… I think. "

The older Hunter shot him glare.

"You  _think?_ You are a Witcher, right? Shouldn't you know this kind of shit?"

Jaune glared back.

"It could be a Wraith. It could be an Aberration. No one is sure. Judging by its unusual shape, it should be the latter. But it has a lot of similarities with normal Wraiths, so people can't agree on how to classify it. Not that it matters. Its abilities are known, and there are ways to deal with it. It all depends on how much collateral damage you can afford."

He let out a heavy sigh.

"Though we probably will have to improvise." He murmured.

Ori swung his axe-thing a few times, and rested it on his shoulder.

"Why?"

"Because we don't have time and resources to pull out safe way, nor can afford the easy one."

Ori opened his mouth to ask something, but instead just cursed and jumped to the side to avoid another object thrown at them by Warper.

Clay hit the same tree, breaking it in half.

"You could catch me you assholes." He groaned, slowly getting up.

"I said the same thing…" Ori murmured, watching as the Warper slowly floated their way.

Clay scoffed, but refrained from answering, focusing on the Harrowed instead.

"So, what the fuck is this? And how we kill it?"

Jaune took a few deep breaths, coughed, and glared at his opponent.

"Well, most common tactic is to gather as many people as you can and shoot it until it weakens, then someone tries to finish it. Rinse and repeat, until you succeed."

"We shot it. It didn't work out well for us." Clay pointed out.

"That's because you need more people."

"How many?" Ori asked.

"One time I did this with twenty people. I heard some folks did it with fifteen, but they got trashed pretty badly."

The massive man winced.

"We have only eight, if the Old Man will come with rest of our team."

"I know. I don't suppose any of you have a Semblance That can cause an explosion? It can't reflect those, so it would be more effective."

"Well…" Clay trailed off. "Kinda? I can mark things, and then either superheat or freeze them. If you give me something like a red Dust crystal, I can turn it into grenade."

Jaune considered something for a few moments, not taking eyes from the Harrowed.

"Ok so here is plan. Clay, you check out surrounding buildings, gather every speck of Dust you can find, or anything that could potentially explode. Gather it in that house with the fancy blue roof, and let us know when you are done."

Said man nodded, and ran off to nearby house.

"Ori, we need keep it busy. Just charge at it, and don't even try to reach it. Try to keep at least ten meters distance, it shouldn't be able to reach you."

"Wha..."

"By the way, our talk break is over."

"Wait, why…" Ori called out, but Jaune was already gone.

The older man cursed, and made to go after him, but paused, taking a few moments to observe the young boy being flung around the small square like rag doll.

"Well, fuck." With this battlecry, Ori lept into the fray.

* * *

"So.." The older Hunter coughed a few times, and tried to push himself up the wall he just slammed into. "I didn't have a chance to ask last time, but what is the safe way?"

There was no answer, besides sound of someone desperately fighting for breath, and to not throw up.

Ori looked down at the blond boy lying beside him in the fetal position, coughing and wheezing. He winced when Jaune started to push himself up.

_Kid is a tough one. Even with that fancy armor of his, the amount of damage he took is absurd. Just how much Aura does he have?_

"You ok there kid?" He asked aloud.

"Yeah." Jaune answered after coughing a few times. He basically crawled to the older man, and pushed himself against the wall into a seated position.

Ori let out a tired sigh, and glared at the floating orb around twenty meters away from them. It was now pale blue, sometimes changing color to green for split of a second. He took another look at his companion and scoffed. The kid was not ok. He had nasty cut on his forehead, and was breathing heavily. Aura would heal it, in fact it already started. But how much longer would he last?

Not that he himself was in better condition. A quick check of his scroll, by some miracle still intact, revealed that both of their Auras were at slightly below fifty. Things were starting to look bad.

 _What the hell is Clay doing?_ Ori thought, wincing as another wave of pain washed over him.

 _And it all started so nice._ He huffed. The landing was an easy one, the few Ghouls they encountered were not much of a challenge. The rest of the Hunters were professionals, many of whom he knew, if not personally, then by reputation.

Once they landed, everyone was doing their damn job, without complaining, or getting in each other's way. And even though he had some concerns about the second Witcher that joined them at the last second, by order of Headmaster Ozpin no less, the young boy quickly proved that he not only knew what he was doing, but also wasn't some elitist prick, like many young Witchers.

They moved through the city fast, eliminating all the Ghouls, and a few stray Grimm. The first Wraith was dealt with relatively fast, yet again proving that the kid knew his craft.

When they reached the second spawn was when things went to hell.

First Clay tried to contact the other group, since the sound of gun fire stopped a few minutes prior, but it turned out their communication devices had stopped functioning. Ori tried to call them by scroll - but there was no signal.

Moments later, Jaune the left building in hurry, by means of being thrown through the wall by a fridge, slamming into ground, skidding a few meters before finally coming to stop, not far from them. All he managed to do, was to shout 'down' before the whole front wall of the building he just flew out of exploded. Shortly after, this damn thing lazily flew out.

He sighed again, happy for another break. Ori spared another glance at the young boy next to him.

"So what is this safe way?" He repeated his previous question.

Jaune winced, and coughed a few times, before answering.

"You smash it with a truck, or a bullhead. Preferably one filled with as many explosives as you can fit in."

Ori winced. Yeah, they didn't have such things to spare.

"Wouldn't it bounce it back?"

"Nah. Too much mass, traveling at too much speed. It needs some time to take control of an object, the heavier it is, the longer it takes."

Ori huffed. Then blinked a few times, when a thought occurred.

"Wait, does that mean that someone fast enough could easily take it out?"

"Yeah. But honestly, it would take some serious bullshit for a person to travel fast enough."

"I see." They both rose to their feet, glaring at their opponent. Then threw themselves to the side, to avoid a piece of furniture that slammed into the wall they were leaning on.

"I guess that means break time is over?" Ori asked, reading his weapon.

"Yep." Answered Jaune, doing the same.

They both charged at the same time, flanking the now pink ball of destruction.

* * *

"So, why are we even doing this? Holding it off I mean. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere." Asked Ori between harsh pants.

"Because the motherfucker will be constantly storing energy if left alone, making itself stronger. Give it enough time, and it will over-charge and explode." Jaune answered, gasping for air.

The Harrowed's last attack sent them crashing through two walls, right into the living room of one of the buildings. The old Hunter pulled out his scroll - seriously, what was this thing made of? - and checked they Aura levels. He was around twenty. Jaune was almost out, with only around five percent remaining.

 _Why couldn't it throw me just half a meter to the right? I would land right in that chair._ He thought, trying to get up, then giving up.

"How strong would the blast be?"

"Enough to level most of this city."

Ori winced.

"Then just out of curiosity. What is the easy way?"

Jaune coughed a few times, and rolled to the side, clutching his left arm. It was badly swollen near the wrist and elbow.

"Just that." He said.

Ori shot him questioning glance. Jaune coughed a few more times before answering.

"You piss it off, and then run the hell away. It's slow as fuck, so it will never be able to catch up. Then you just wait for it to overcharge and self destruct."

"Not an option here."

"Yep."

They both managed to push themselves up into a sitting position.

"So…" Ori trailed off "Why are we even getting these breaks? Wouldn't it just use this time to recharge?"

Jaune sighed.

"Nah, it won't start gathering as long as it's agitated."

"How do you know when it starts charging up?"

"It starts glowing white."

"Fair enough." He took a few deep breaths before getting up.

"Anything else you can tell me? What about it changing colors? Does it mean anything?"

Jaune tried to get up too, but stumbled, and would have fallen if older man didn't catch him.

"No one knows for sure, but general opinion is that its colors means only that is agitated. Only thing to watch out is how strong it glows - it indicates how angry it is. If we piss it off to much, it might release a big attack, like that last one. It will cost it a lot of energy, so it's actually good way to weaken it, but…"

Jaune shrugged, and Ori winced. Neither of them wanted to get hit by that again.

They slowly walked towards the hole they made in the wall, Ori reaching it first, peering outside.

"Hey, is there any way to tell if it's going to go ham on us?"

"It starts sparkling. Best thing to do then is to just run. Its power falls out very fast with distance. If you get around seven, eight meters away, it wouldn't be nearly as powerful." Jaune answer with a shrug.

"Sparkling? Like that?" Ori said, pointing outside.

Jaune peeked out, to see the Warper not more than five meters from them, glowing fiercely red, and sparkling viciously.

"Yeah, just like that."

"Fuck." Ori offered his educated opinion.

"Shit." Jaune agreed.

A wave of energy flung them all the way to next building. This time Ori did land in the chair - not that it did much to help him out.

* * *

Jaune winced, probing his left arm. It didn't look like anything was broken, but it was badly bruised. Well, to be honest, his whole body ached, the result of beating he received in five minutes he and Ori had to hold off the Warper alone. In the end, it turned out Clay wasn't slacking off at all - it's just that your perception of time tended to get warped when you get your ass flung around by a monster with immense telekinetic powers.

He gathered a good amount of Dust, and various chemicals and and made an improvised bomb out of them. Several actually. They managed to lure Warper close to it, and blow it up. Of course it was not enough to take down the damn thing, but it did cause it to lose a lot of energy, and the resulting explosion was big enough to catch the Old Man's attention - just as Jaune hoped. The rest of the team joined them soon after, and together they took out the weakened monster.

_I think I'll need to buy Weiss something nice once I'm back at Beacon. This would be much worse if not for my armor._

Jaune smiled fondly. He still remembered the day when the heiress presented him Bear HIDE. She was trying her best to pretend she hadn't just pulled all the strings she could to allow someone who wasn't even a licensed Hunter, with no affiliation to Atlas, to receive top-tier equipment, normally reserved for Atlas military elites, because she was worried about him.

_What excuse did she used again? Something about 'giving her employee the right equipment for the task he was supposed to perform' I think._

He chuckled.

She could be cute like that sometimes.

_If I recall correctly, they have special word for that kind of behavior in Mistral. What was that again? Tsundere?_

Jaune smiled, but it fell when he recalled what happened the one time he actually called her that. Never again did he made that mistake.

_Tsundere or not, this armor you gave me yet again saved my ass. Thanks for that Weiss._

"You are either a masochist, or in much better shape than I thought you are, if you can smile like that kid. Which one is it?"

Jaune winced and looked up at the sound of the gruff voice. The old man - and Jaune wished he knew the man's real name - was staring at him with his usual scowl.

"Neither. Just recalling old times."

"Kiddo, you are at least fifty years too young to be recaling 'old times'. Right now you are still at the phase where you're supposed to be making memories."

Jaune snorted and shook his head.

"Sure old-timer. Anyway, what's the situation? Since we are setting up a camp, I presume there were some complications?"

"Oh you presume? Well, good fucking job, because you are right on fucking point." The older man glared at Jaune, but the blond held his gaze. After a few moments, the older man started speaking.

"A few things happened youngster, and none of them are good. First thing, around half an hour after we separated, our communication devices started to die, one by one. You checked your scroll?"

Jaune nodded.

"It says out of range. But it's shouldn't be - we are not that far away from Vale."

"True. But it is. So for now, we have no means to contact the outside world. And this is just beginning of the trouble. Before communication went down, we tried to contact the other teams, since there was no sign of combat elsewhere in the city. We got no response to any of our calls. We split up, searching for them. I ran into Team Two. Or rather, what was left of them." He pulled out his scroll, and shown Jaune some photos.

Massacred was only way to describe the bodies he saw. There was very little left of them.

"Ghouls? Grimm?"

"Hard to tell. Could be either, could be both. Or neither."

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

"We found two people from Team One not soon after. Look at that."

This time the bodies were in much better condition. Not nearly as mutilated, wounds cleary made by sharp blades, not teeth or claws.

"Bandits?"

"Maybe. But I knew those people, kid. They were some of the best out there. It would take something more than a simple bandit to take them out."

"So, to put it simply - we are neck-deep in the shit, right?" Asked Ori, limping to them. He had his right arm bandaged up, white material stained red already. Both him and Jaune got trashed pretty hard in their fight against the Warper, with Jaune barely escaping with a sliver of his Aura left - and only thanks to the fact that Ori pulled him down, and shielded with his own body from the Harrowed's last attack. They both got knocked out by it, the older man losing all his Arua. Thankfully, rest of the team pulled them aside and managed to finish Warper off.

"Well, maybe not neck deep. Yet." Answered the Old Man, throwing another piece of wood into the fireplace. They were gathered in small house, around halfway towards the city center. It was already dark outside. Ori and Jaune got patched up, and were now resting. The rest of the team got to barricading the house as best as they could. They would be spending night here after all.

"Yeah sure." The massive man sat next to them, and started counting out.

"Our short-range communication does not work, so we can't spread out without losing touch with each other. Our long-range communication is down too, so we can't call HQ to report, call for backup, or evacuation. Out of three teams sent here, one got wiped out, and other is missing with two members confirmed dead. And we have to spend night in a Harrowed-infested city. Did I miss something?"

"There is only one bathroom." Someone shouted from the back of the house.

"Ah yes, how could I forget about that one. Oh, and two of probably only eight people alive in this shithole are out of Aura. So, yeah, I think this classifies as 'neck-deep in the shit'."

Jaune winced. Yep, this looked bad.

The Old Man sighed.

"Yeah, maybe you are right. But for now you two go and catch some rest. We will split watches between the six of us."

Jaune made to speak, but was interrupted by a loud howl. A second one responded, then a third and fourth. The strange song continued for almost a minute, then everything went silent.

For a few moments the only sound in the small house were the breaths of eight people, and crackling wood in the fireplace.

"That wasn't a Beowolf." Ori finally broke the silence.

"I know." The Old Man responded

"It wasn't a Ghoul either." Pointed out Jaune.

"I know."

"This is bad." Said Clay, sitting next to Jaune.

"Yeah. It is." Answered Old Man, throwing yet another piece of wood into the fireplace.

"Go get some sleep youngsters. I'll take first watch."

Jaune nodded and grabbed one of the blankets they salvaged from the nearby houses.

 _Leon always said that every situation looks better in daylight. Maybe this will be true for this one too?_ Jaune thought, lying down near the fireplace.

He wished he believed it.

* * *

**AN: So yeah, this is it. Be careful what you ask for - you might get your wish granted.**

**Not much to talk about this week, so let's just jump straight to the omake. This is a continuation of the one from last week (and yes, it too was written by JJD).**

**JJD: Sam for life kids.**

* * *

**Letter to a Friend**

_Dear Jaune,_

_I'm sorry it's been so long since I last wrote you! It's great that you and Leon are getting along (guys show affection through beatings right?). Things couldn't be going better for me and Pierre. He's a picture of professionalism. We're like peas in a pod!_

"Pierre, so help me if you're drunk on the clock again!"

"Wha clock? Der iz no clock!"

"There's a clock when I say there's a clock! I'm the customer, and the customer is always right!"

"Only if dey pay!"

"You'll get paid when we make it! That's the arrangement!"

"Der iz no arrangement! Ew jus said dat once!"

_I'm learning so much under his tutelage. Just the other day, we were going over some advanced movements that I'd think you'd love. I think we might even collaborate together on a new dance routine!_

"It'z one, two, dree, how 'ard iz dat!?"

"It's not hard, it's boring! I can come up with something better!"

"It'z a classic, ew need to learn da basics!"

"It's classically boring!"

"Ew are killin me."

"Not yet, but keep this attitude up and I will!"

_Our dance academy is truly top of line. Pierre spared no expense in making sure that it's the best around!_

"Why iz it on fire!"

"I don't know you old drunk, it just started by itself! Probably because there's enough liquor and old newspapers around here to burn down half Vale!"

"Put it out!"

"The water's not working! Why is the water not working!?"

"Oh no! Eye forgot about da billz!"

"We are going to die in here you old codger!"

_And just like you and Leon, we keep up a strict diet to keep in peak physical condition._

"Pierre, what is this?"

"It iz food, eyat it."

"No Pierre, this is not food. This is Ramen noodles and ketchup."

"And wine."

"Yeah. Pierre, do you know how old I am?"

"Old enough to be a payne in my azz."

"It's illegal Pierre."

"Who iz da man to 'ell Pierre how to drink iz wine!?"

_But I think my favorite thing is just how supportive he is._

"What iz your parentz' number?! I'm zending ew home!"

"I am home Pierre! This is our dance academy now remember?!"

"Yez, eye remember, and I'm about to burn it down to get ew out!"

"Much like the many diseases that I'm sure you have Pierre, I'm with you for life!"

"Dis iz punishment for a great crime Pierre committed in another life, he iz sure ov it."

"Shut up and teach Pierre."

_I think we're going to be opening soon! I know you're super busy, but I'm going to try to send you some tickets! Bye for now!_

Love, Your friend,

Sam

* * *

**And that wraps it up. If you liked chapter, please leave review. If you didn't - leave one anyway, I'm always open to helpful criticism.**

**Well, I'll see you all next week.**


	18. Hunters and Hunted

**Welcome to Ch 17 of TPA! JJD as always keeps this readable.**

* * *

_Well, I wouldn't classify this as 'better.'_

Thought Jaune, watching as the Old Man pulled his black sword form Ori's chest. When he woke up this morning it was to find the older Hunter dead. He didn't realize it at first, he thought he was just sleeping. He went to the bathroom, and when he came back it was to see Clay and two other Hunters gathered around the leader, who was pulling Ori's shirt up to reveal several black spots forming on the man's torso.

"Ok, any of you youngsters have any idea how he died?"

"No sir." Someone answered. Jaune recognized him as the same man who was patching up him and Ori last night.

"But it shouldn't be because this wound. Even for a normal person, without Aura, such damage wouldn't be lethal."

The Old Man spat to the side, his usual scowl deepening.

"Figures. Kiddo, anything unusual happen when you two played with that Warper?"

"Nothing that I can think of." Jaune answered with a sigh.

"Fuck." He spat to the side, and considered something for a few moments. "Someone call the rest of the squad. It's time for a little strategy meeting. And help me move the body to the other room."

Half an hour later, they all sat around a small table in the living room of their temporary base. The Old Man looked them over and sighed.

"Alright folks, we have a problem here, and I think we need to talk it out before we decide what we're going to do next. So, can you tell what happened on your end after we separated? Jaune? Clay?"

Both of them looked at each other and shrugged.

"Nothing special. There were a lot of Ghouls, but mostly fresh ones. Some of them didn't even had any mutations. We reached the first Wraith spawn around thirty minutes after we separated. Jaune went in, and walked out around ten minutes later, unharmed from what I saw. We then proceed to the other location, it took us around forty minutes to get there. Again, nothing unusual happened, just that there were far more Ghouls. Oh, and the Wraith wasn't a Dream Eater."

The Old Man nodded, the turned to Jaune.

"KId? Anything unusual in any of these two houses?"

Jaune pondered the question for a few moments, then shook his head.

"Nothing that I can think of. In first one I found four corpses - two female, one male, and one too messed up to tell its gender. Probably parents and children, judging by the size. The Wraith was barely formed, so killing it was easy. Beside that? Nothing worth mentioning."

"What about Ori?"

"Again, nothing special. We were crippling Ghouls, Jaune was finishing them. We encountered a few stray Beowolves, but nothing major. It was pretty much a standard clean up operation, until that Warper showed up."

"Then how the hell did he die, and started turning after...I don't know, maybe a few hours ? Anyone know exactly when he died?"

"I think sometime after midnight. I heard him snoring when I went to the bathroom." One of Hunters said.

The Old Man checked the time on his scroll and winced.

"It's few minutes after six. Not long enough for corruption to start to settle in, and there was nowhere near enough negativity for him to start turning in the first place." The old Hunter scowled -more than usual, that is.

"I don't like it. I don't like this one bit. This whole situation doesn't make any fucking sense."

"Why? Maybe he got infected by something and died from that? Or had some internal damage that we didn't notice…" Clay pointed out, but the Old Man just scoffed, and spat to the side.

"That's not it. Or at least not all of it. Have any of you seen any bodies on the streets?"

There were a few moments of the group looking around at each other, shrugging and shaking their heads.

"Yeah, me neither. Kid, you said you saw some in the first house. What about the second one? "

Jaune shrugged.

"Not sure. The living room was empty. The next room I checked was the kitchen - and I didn't have a chance to get a good look before the Warper blasted me out."

"And that's another strange thing. The distress signal was received around one hour before we set off. It would take at least two, maybe three weeks for a Warper to grow so big. There's no fucking way for it to remain hidden in the middle of the town for so long. And then this outbreak. One so big doesn't happen out of nowhere. Hell, I've been a Witcher for over forty years, and I've never seen any that comes close to this. For something like that to happen, something really messed up would have to happen. But as far as we know, this was a completely normal city, up until most of its population turned into monsters."

He paused for a moment, arms crossed over his chest.

"And those Ghouls. They were young ones. All of them. There should be a few older ones. It all looked like they all changed at roughly the same time. And have you seen how much damage there is to the city?"

"Well, to be fair, I didn't think there was that much…" Jaune pointed out.

The Old Man snorted.

"Yeah, you're right. And didn't it strike you as strange? This town was attacked by a horde of monsters. And there is hardly any damage to the buildings."

"So, what are we gonna do now?" Asked Clay after a moment of silence.

The Old Man sighed, then shook his head.

"We are moving out. First we check the mayor's mansion, there might be some communication equipment there that will let us contact HQ. If not, we simply grab any survivors we find and then get the hell out of here."

"What about team one?"

"If anyone is alive, they would either head towards the mayor's mansion, or have retreated. We will keep our eyes open, but that's it. If we find them, good. If not, we are still leaving."

* * *

Eclipse rose, cutting the outstretched arm near elbow. Immediately after it fell, biting into Ghoul's shoulder, cutting through bone and muscle until it stopped in the middle of its chest. Jaune didn't even bother cleaning the blood that sprayed on his face, instead he tore his sword free, and spun, cutting into another monster. It struggled for a few moments, then stilled, black spots on its body disappearing quickly.

 _Too fast._ Jaune thought, pulling Eclipse free, and stabbing another Ghoul in the chest.

_Corruption clears too fast for Ghouls this size. And there are far too many of them._

Not enough to overwhelm their group - yet. So far they were holding the horde off, but they were fighting almost non stop since they left their hideout. The number of Ghouls was simply unreal - Jaune honestly started to believe that whole town had turned.

_But that's not possible. They all would have to die in the same way, at the same time. Judging by damage to the city, or rather lack of any, there was no bandit raid, or Grimm incursion, or any other catastrophe. There is no way all of these people died together. Unless…_

His eyes narrowed as he cut down yet another Ghoul. A quick glance around revealed that most of the Harrowed were dead, the Old Man finishing a few stragglers. Jaune slumped against a nearby wall, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Move it ladies, it's not time to be lying around. Unless you want to keep playing with our new friends." The Old Man shouted.

Jaune winced, and pushed off of the wall. He could hear the next wave of Ghouls coming.

_We can't keep this up for long. We need to find someplace to rest._

"You think I don't know, kid? Been looking for any decent house to hunker down for like half an hour." Was the leader's response, when Jaune shared this thought with him. Jaune winced and focused on the road ahead. They were moving fast, but not running. There was no way they could outrun the Ghouls, they would just tire themselves out.

They must have entered something akin to a trade district. Most of the houses they saw had either far too many windows to be good defensive positions, or were too big for the seven of them to be able to effectively defend inside.

"How about that one?" Shouted Clay, pointing to the side.

Jaune turned, to see a rather large, two story building. It looked like a pub of some kind. From what Jaune could see, there were several windows, but most of them were too small for a Ghoul to come through.

 _It doesn't look bad._ Jaune thought. Even if they weren't able to hold the lower floor, they could retreat upstairs, and defend there. And if things got really bad, they could use windows to get on the roofs of nearby buildings.

The Old Man apparently thought the same, because he urged whole team to run towards said building.

"Alright, Clay, Kid, check out the other rooms, make sure we are only ones here. The rest of you - start barricading doors and windows."

Thankfully, they didn't have any aggressive company, and were able to secure their new base without any problems. Well, beside the Ghouls that came from outside. There were a few tense moments when the horde form outside almost managed to break inside, but eventually they managed to barricade all the entrances.

"So, I don't want to be that guy, but what now? We push onward, or do we retreat?" Asked Clay, after the Ghouls got bored of storming their improvised fort.

Jaune pulled out his scroll, and checked the tactical map of town they all got before the mission started.

"I think we can push on after we catch some rest. We are almost at the mayor's house anyway."

Clay sighed, rolling his head to loosen the muscles.

"There are a lot of Ghouls outside. It would take ages to kill them all."

"Well, we could always use the rooftops. But there is a good chance they will get bored if we stay quiet for long enough."

"How long?"

Jaune shrugged, taking a set on one of chairs they didn't used to barricade the doors and windows.

"Dunno. Might be an hour, might be more. Or less. Anyway, we are relatively safe here, so I guess we might as well get some rest."

"Don't get too comfortable. Even if these fuckers let us be, we still would have to clear them off to get civilians out of here." A gruff voice sounded behind them.

Clay turned to regard the Old Man.

"If there are any civies alive. With so many Ghouls, I'm starting to believe the whole city got turned."

"There is no way that happened...is what I would like to say. But you might have a point. There are just too many of them. Problem is - how did it happen"

"Well, I think we can exclude Grimm or a bandit attack. Not enough collateral damage, and we would have seen bodies. Plus, a request for help would have come earlier." Reasoned Clay.

Jaune nodded.

"And we barely saw any Grimm in the city. If this were an attack, negativity would have summoned more of them. Not to mention how close to Vale we are. Anything big enough to be threat for this city - Grimm or bandits - would be detected and dealt with."

The Old Man hummed, staying silent for a moment.

"So, what are we left with? If it didn't come from outside, it had to be an internal problem. We can exclude epidemic, or explosions for the same reasons as above. It would take too much time for all the residents to die, and there would be bodies."

"Well…" Jaune trialed off "I have a theory…"

"Oh? Mind sharing it, kid?"

"Sure. But first, one question. Don't you think those Ghouls look kinda… similar to each other? Like, almost identical?"

"What?" Exclaimed Clay, cleary confused. "Have you hit your head? Most of them had only blackened skin, in a few places, without much mutation…"

"No, the kid has a point." The Old Man mumbled, stroking his chin.

The Hunter looked between the two Witchers, both of them lost in thought. When none of them spoke for a few moments, he coughed to get their attention.

"I hate to interrupt whatever you two are doing, but maybe provide some sort of explanation for poor, old me? How exactly do those Ghouls look similar?"

"Corruption." Said the Old Man. "We don't know much about how and why Harrowed are formed, but we do know that, in the case of Ghouls, the cause of death will determine from where corruption starts spreading. If someone died because they were attacked, the wound that caused the death would be the origin. In the case of disease - it would usually start from the heart or brain. But after that, it would spread chaotically. Some parts of the body would be corrupted and mutate faster than others. I've never seen two Ghouls that looked exactly the same, there are always some differences. And the ones we fought…" The Old Man paused, his eyes narrowing.

"Now that I think about it… Their corruption was spreading evenly. And they didn't look too deformed." He turned to Jaune "So? What is this theory of yours kiddo?"

Jaune took a moment to gather his thoughts, trying to find any gaps in his logic. When he found none, he spoke.

"Poison. This is only way that I can think of for so many people to die at a similar time."

"Poison? So many people? That would be hard." Clay was clearly not convinced.

"True. But not impossible. If he messed with the town's water supply, he could get the whole town without anyone noticing."

"But there are safety protocols, filters, and sensors that would send an alarm if they detected something toxic in the water." The older Hunter argued.

Jaune sighed.

"Yeah, you are right. But only if what they would detect would be registered as a toxic substance. There are ways to bypass that. You could, for example make something that is completely harmless on its own, but becomes toxic after prolonged exposure to some conditions."

"Something like that is possible?"

"Yeah. But it would be hard, very hard."

"Well," the Old Man spoke after a few moments of silence, "this theory is as good as any. You think Ori might have somehow gotten poisoned too?"

Jaune nodded.

"Yeah, that would explain how he died from such a small wound like that, and why he started turning so fast."

The Old Man's eyes narrowed.

"You think it's the work of the same psycho from Atlas? The one that was running around, and turning girls into Wraiths?"

"I-I'm not sure. He is only one I ever heard of that can reliable create similar Harrowed. And this" Jaune motioned around him," is on a completely different scale, compared to what he did in Atlas or Vale."

"Wait, that whole mess in Vale was his doing too? Are you sure?" Asked Clay.

Jaune ran a hand through his hair, thinking for a few moments on his answer.

"I don't have any proof. But a friend of mine got a picture of someone that looked very similar leaving Vale last Monday."

"Just when the murders stopped. You think he might have gotten scared that he was getting too much attention, and decided to leave the city?"

"Probably. Or just wanted to find a smaller place to make some of his experiments. Or a million other things."

The Old Man hummed, nodding a few times. Then shook his head, and looked back at Jaune.

"So, back to the problem at hand. How do you think Ori got poisoned?"

"Not sure. Could be the blood of the Ghouls he killed. But I think it's the water. I saw him drinking from the tap as soon as we got to that house."

"Wait." Clay exclaimed, eyes wide. "Didn't you drink from it too?"

Jaune nodded.

"Yeah, but Ori was out of Aura. I think this made the difference."

"You sure? I mean…"

"You want me to strip and check if I didn't started turning?" Jaune asked with a serious voice.

Clay considered him for a few moments, then slowly shook his head.

"Nah. You are too lovely to be a walking corpse. Anyway, what do we do now?"

Jaune got up and stretched.

"I think we should push onward. We can decide when we see what the situation is like at the mayor's house."

* * *

_Ok, this doesn't look good._

Jaune winced. After nearly two hours, they finally reached their destination - a big, two story building situated near a large square with a small fountain in the center. It apparently served both as city hall, and the mayor's residence.

"This doesn't look good." Clay echoed his thought aloud. Seeing as heavy doors were wide open, and the whole square was covered in motionless bodies, it wasn't hard to guess what happened.

"Stop standing and staring, and move. We need to investigate anyway, maybe someone hid somewhere deep in the building."

Jaune sighed. They all knew that chances of them finding any survivors were slim at best, especially if his theory about the poison was correct.

They closed slowly, wary of any surprise attacks. Amidst the deformed corpses of Ghouls, they found two that clearly belonged to Hunters - if the clothing and unusual weapons were anything to go by. Jaune and the Old Man looked at each other and nodded.

Two black swords pierced the two bodies at the same time. Both Witchers remained still, until last black spots disappeared from the corpses.

After that was done, the whole group moved towards the door, weapons at the ready. It was clear what happened. One of the other teams reached the mayor's house first. They opened the door, but instead of civilians, they found Ghouls. Sounds of combat must have dragged more Harrowed to the area, and the team was surrounded. Jaune couldn't spot any more bodies that looked like they belonged to Hunters, so it was possible at least some of them survived.

Seeing as the doors were wide open, they didn't bother with any subtlety, instead just bursting inside, weapons at the ready, eyes scanning every corner of the spacious hall they were in.

It was empty, save for a few broken pieces of furniture, and one or two bodies.

"Ok, you know the drill. Sweep the building, secure doors and windows. We will stay here for a minute to catch our breath, and decide what to do next." Said the Old Man.

They all got to work. Thankfully some barricading had been done by the civilians that hid there, before they turned into Ghouls. Since the building was very large, checking it all took more time than their previous hideouts. Thankfully, besides one Ghoul in the kitchen, it proved to be empty.

"So, how does it look?"

"The house seems to be clear. Not much here, but we found a control room of some sort in the basement. There were sealed doors there, but we didn't try to open them." Said Huwe, a short, lean man with a small mustache, and long, brown hair tied up in a ponytail.

"What was in the control room?"

"A lot of pipes, some computers, and a ton of screens. Most of them didn't work, but I could hear water moving through the pipes. I guess this is where the town is getting their water from."

"Probably." Said Toto. He was a tall man, almost as tall as Tob, but not nearly as massive. His short, black hair was well kept, his mustache perfectly trimmed. He wore a pair of half-glasses. Overall, the man looked more like an office worker, than a Hunter. Even his outfit looked like a suit.

"We found towns map in the mayor's office, and it indicated that there's a cave system under the town, with an underground river running through it, and several small lakes."

"I see…" The Old Man considered something for a few moments, then looked over the gathered Hunters.

"You all heard the kid's theory on how this mess happened?" He waited for all of them to confirm, then continued. "So, what do you think about it?"

"I believe it holds some merit. It would explain a lot. But there is one thing I'm not sure about." Toto said. He fixed his glasses, and turned to address Jaune. "If this was indeed poison, and it is in water, how are you ok? I believe you drank from the same source that Ori did?"

"I think it's thanks to Aura. Ori was completely out after our fight with the Warper, I had a little left. Besides, I'm nearly immune to most poisons. Semblance." The last part was added when the gathered Hunters shot him questioning looks.

The Old Man chuckled.

"Well, isn't that convenient. Listen kid, I recall that you liked to play alchemist when you traveled with Leon. You think you could try to figure out what kind of poison was used, and make something to purge the water here? I don't know if this underground river runs through any other settlements, but if it does and it's poisoned…"

He didn't finish, but he didn't have to. Everyone here could imagine.

Jaune considered his answer for a few moments, then slowly nodded.

"I can try. I'm not sure how much I'll be able to find, but I should be able to at least make some countermeasures. Will need a few things though."

"Nothing too fancy, I hope? We are kinda low on supplies, and I doubt any stores will be open at this hour." Clay joked.

"Nah. Just a bit of laboratory glassware, and a few chemicals. I saw a clinic on our way here, and a pharmacy. They should have all the things I need. Plus samples. "

"Good. Huwe, you go see if you can get the machinery in the control room running. Usually cites like this have cameras set around, if we can get a recording we might figure out what exactly happened. Toto, I saw some antennas on the roof that looked like short-range communication boosters. Go see if you can't get our scrolls back up and running. Rest of you, go with the kid, help him gather what he needs. Any questions? No? Then move your asses."

* * *

"You wanted to show me something?" Asked the Old Man, looking over the control room. In addition to sound of water running through multiple pipes, now he could hear soft hum of working machinery.

Huwe spun in his chair to face the older man. "Yeah. I managed to restore power and get access to the camera footage. A lot of it is corrupted, but I found one interesting bit. Here look at this."

The Old man walked closer and looked at the only active screen. Huwe pressed a few buttons and the video started playing. It was of very poor quality, but he could just make out some dimly lit room, or cave with a small lake and sizable pipe going out of it. For a few moments nothing happened, but then someone walked into the room. Whoever it was, was carrying a large canister - that they attached to pipe gathering water from lake. They couldn't make out the person's face, because of the low quality of recording, and fact they were hooded, but judging from their behavior, they weren't supposed to be there.

"Well," the Old Man sighed, "I guess the kid's theory just got that much more probable. How old is this recording?"

"Roughly three hours before Vale received the distress signal."

"Shit. Then that means this stuff works really fast."

"So what now? We bail out? I honestly don't see any reason for us to stay. Better to get out, or at least try to contact HQ."

The Old Man scoffed.

"It's not that simple. I talked with Toto just a moment ago. He said that the signal booster got purposely damaged, and in way he won't be able to repair without some specialized tools and a few spare parts. None of which we have. And on top of that, he found this attached to one of the antennas."

Huwe Looked over the small device the Old Man handed him.

"Is it…"

"Signal Jammer. Atlas technology. Old, but still widely used. Whoever did all of this, apparently wanted to make sure that not a word of what happened here got out." The Old Man shook his head.

"We still can't contact the outside, but at very least we can communicate with ourselves."

As if to confirm his statement, his scroll started ringing. The Old Man picked it up, his scowl deepening when he saw who was calling.

"I already received two cases of bad news in the span of five minutes. You better have some good news for me, kid."

"Well…" Jaune's voice trailed off.

"Fuck. Ok, I'll be there in a minute." He ended the call and turned back to Huwe.

"See if you can find something else. I'll go check out what kind of shit hit the fan this time."

* * *

All five Hunters and two Witchers sat at a single table in what was probably once a conference room. All eyes were focused on Jaune.

"Where is Huwe?"

"Busy in the control room. Now spill kid. What did you find out?"

The blond hunter sighed, running his hand through his hair. He really wished he had more time to run tests, or had better equipment, or not had to do it at all.

"A few things. First of all, I was able to confirm that there is  _something_  in the water samples we gathered. I don't have the necessary equipment to determine what exactly, but I found traces of a similar substance in the Ghouls', and Ori's blood. So I think it's safe to assume some kind of poison was used to kill and turn those people. The good news is that it seems to dissolve pretty quickly, so I don't think we have to worry about it spreading. Not too much at least, and Aura seems to protect against it as well."

"So what's the bad news?" Clay asked.

"This substance.. The water was not only thing that was spreading it. "

Jaune sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small object. It was a simple scented candle, like one could find in almost any shop. A few of them even burned in the very room they were sitting in.

Clay covered his face with one hand, slowly drawing it down.

"Tell me you are kidding."

"I wish. I would need to get blood samples from all of you to make sure, but…"

"There is no need. So lets sum this up, shall we? We all inhaled some strange substance that will turn us too if we run out of Aura. We can't call for help, since long-range communication is broken. All the water is poisoned too, so we have to stick to what we brought with us. Oh, and every person living in this city is now Harrowed, that sooner or later will come for us. And We can't afford to let our Aura run dry. Can this get any worse?"

As if to answer the question, they heard a few shots. It didn't take them long to figure out who, and where the sound was coming from.

When they reached the control room it was to find previously sealed doors open, the whole floor covered in blood, and Huwe's headless body lying on the floor.

All monitors were functioning now, showing footage from many different cameras. The Old Man walked closer, and stared at one screen for a few moments.

After the doors were sealed shut, the rest of team joined him.

Footage that old Witcher was so focused on showed cave with sizable lake in it. It was bigger than the one he saw earlier, but this one had pipe a pipe running from it too, and another strange canister.

And multiple big, round, and fleshy things sitting near the edge of the lake, half submerged in the water.

Eggs, or cocoons. And a few of them looked to be empty.

"Shit." Clay summarized the thoughts of every person in the room.

* * *

**AN. And we continue where we left off last time. Things look… definitely not better than they did last time. But hey, at least this can't get any worse that it already is, right?**

 

**Sorry about dealy, had some real-life stuff to do. Updates should speed up from now on.**

**Anyway, omake. This one is direct continuation of last one. Written by JJD.**

* * *

**Opening Night**

Pierre's eyes watched as the young girl paced back and forth, slowly trying to burn a hole in the floor of the small backstage room.

"What are ew zo nervous about? Ew said ew've done dis before." He asked.

Sam huffed. "I have done this loads of times before! In front of big crowds."

He raised an eyebrow. "Ow big iz a big crowd?"

She chuckled nervously. "I don't know, maybe a dozen? Whoever stopped by the fountain really."

He ran a hand down his face in exasperation. "Wha da 'ell Zam! Der are at leas a 'undred people out der!"

"Yeah, I picked up on that, thanks." She shot back.

He took a deep breath and let it out. "Ok, ok, iz not dat different. 'Ow did ew prepare in de past?"

She sighed. "I don't know! I never really worried about it! Jaune was always there."

"De dorkie knight?"

"My dorky knight." She unconsciously defended.

He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Ok Zam. Lizten to me for once in ewour life. Breath deep." He took a deep breath, waiting for her to do the same before letting it out. "An let it out." He looked her in the eye. "Good, now eye wan ew to imagin dat when ew are out der, it iz jus me an dat ridiculous boy ew like zo much out der."

"He's not ridiculous."

"Even better. Now, get ready, ew are on in five."

Pierre took up his own pacing routine in the back of the quiet and dimly lit theater, as he waited for Sam to come out on stage. His eyes scanned over the crowd. He been wrong…

There were easily two hundred people here.

He watched as a portly man wearing glasses waddled his way to the microphone in the center of the half circle stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a special treat for you tonight! For the first time in far too long, we have a student from the great 'Pierre's Studio of Dance and the Arts!' Please welcome to the stage – Samantha Birger!"

"Way to up da pressure azzhole." Pierre muttered as the crowd erupted into applause.

Sam hesitantly peaked her head out from the curtains, eyes wide at the size of the crowd, paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and began to slowly and stiffly make her way to the microphone.

He winced when she reached it. It looked like she was trying to hide herself behind the slim stand, as she tentatively reached for the mic.

"Come on Zam, ew can do dis." He whispered.

"Um…hi." She managed to squeak out before she mentally slapped herself. He watched as she started to shut down, taking a step back from the stand.

"Are you going to perform or not?" A voice called from the crowd.

Pierre made a note to have a private  _conversation_ with that particular patron later.

"I…uh." Sam stuttered.

"Get off the stage!"

Pierre was about to make his way down the aisle to the man, when the lights started to flicker, a powerful buzzing noise filling the air.

His eyes shot up to Sam. She looked terrified, like she was about to flee the stage. He did the only thing he could think of.

He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Zam, dat ridiculous boy iz here!" He shouted.

"He's not ridiculous!" She growled, leaning forward towards the crowd.

Her eyes, and his grin, widened at the realization of what had happened. The nervous spell was broken.

Her gaze snapped to the noisy patron. "And you! Maybe if you'd shut up for a minute I could start." She scanned over the crowd. "I'll be performing 'I'm Yours.' You're welcome."

With that, she started to sing. It was a rich, vibrate sound, that accentuated her elegant and flowing movements as she made her way back and forth across the stage, captivating the crowd.

Pierre wished that he could have appreciated it more, but he was too busy dying laughing.

He wiped a tear from his eye and smiled proudly up at the stage.

"Dat'z my girl."


	19. Predators and Prey

**So here it is, Ch 18 of TPA. Made readable by JJD**

* * *

"You really gonna drink that?" Asked Clay, voice mixed with disgust and worry.

"It's not like I have much choice. Someone needs to test it, and with my Semblance I'm the best candidate. Unless you want to volunteer?" Jaune said with a smirk.

Clay's grimace said it all. And frankly, Jaune didn't blame him. The man had assisted him for the whole time he was trying to make an antidote for whatever was used to poison the water in this damn town. It was hard, considering he had only very basic equipment, and the only thing he could really determine was that  _something_  was used. So the only way to develop an antidote was the tried and true trial and error method - Jaune Arc style.

Step one - drink poison. Use Semblance to force it into dormant state so it won't kill you.

Step two - drink, or eat, anything that you think might help neutralize said poison.

Step three - use Semblance to force poison to react with every substance one by one, to determine if any of them would work as part of the antidote.

Oh, and try to not puke your guts out in the process.

Nice, simple, and easy. At least in theory.

Jaune sighed and swirled the small beaker he held in hand and winced. The thing inside looked even less appealing that it smelled. And considered how badly it smelled…

_Well, no point in delaying this. Bottoms up!_

The blond drank it all in one go. For a moment nothing happened, then he bent double, one hand clutching his stomach, the other covering his mouth.

"Oi, you alright there?" Clay was next to him in instant, worry clear on his face.

"Yeah, I'll live. It's just tasted even worse than it looked." He managed to get out after a few moments of struggling to keep the contents of his stomach on the inside.

"You sure? You look rather pale. And considering what you added to that mixture of yours…"

"Yes, I'm sure. Remember, we're all poisoned, can't get much worse than that."

"So.. What now? You use your Semblance and you instantly know what the poison is and how to make an antidote for it? Or you will produce it inside of your body, and we will have to drink your blood to get the cure?"

Jaune chuckled, staggered to a nearby chair, and almost fell over trying to sit.

"Unfortunately, it's not that convenient. Best I can do is use my Semblance to test how it reacts when mixed with other substances. Then I compare it to poisons I know, and based on that, I can try to figure out how to make an antidote."

"Isn't that a bit... risky? I know you said you're immune, but couldn't you just use this." The older man asked, pointing to a makeshift laboratory they set up in one of mansion rooms.

Jaune winced when another wave of nausea washed over him.

"It's not that simple. It's all very basic equipment, even if I did manage to figure out what this thing is, it would take a lot of time. Something we don't really have."

Clay looked like he wanted to say something, but a commotion coming from downstairs stopped him. He looked towards the door, considered something for a moment then looked back to Jaune.

"You mind if I go see what that's about?"

"Go ahead. I need to focus on my Semblance anyway. Just come check on me in and half an hour or so, make sure I'm not dead." He said jokingly. Well, he tried to. Between focusing on his Semblance, and trying to not let content of his stomach go back the way it entered there, his words sounded more like pained groans.

"Yeah, sure." Clay walked to the door,and Jaune focused on his Semblance. It was a delicate process, one that he had to completely focus on. He barely registered the sound of the doors closing behind the older man.

_Alright. Let's see what we have here…_

"Hey kid?" Jaune shot an annoyed look towards door, held slightly open, Clay's head popping inside.

"Want me to grab you something to drink? Like arsenic?. Or maybe strychnine? I swear I saw a bottle somewhere..."

"Just go already." Jaune growled at him.

Clay laughed, and left. Jaune stared at the door for a few moments, just to make sure he wouldn't try any more jokes. When a few moments passed with no annoying Hunters trying to distract him, he focused back on the task at hand.

* * *

"So, what's all the fuss about?"

The Old Man turned to see Clay approaching.

"What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to help the kid with making an antidote?"

"Said he doesn't need me. So, what happened here?"

"I sent Toto and two others to scout out the area around us, see if they can find any survivors. And they did."

Clay perked up at that.

"Civilians?"

"No. Someone from Team one. They should be here any moment."

Ten minutes later, four people entered the mansion. Three of them were members of his team. The forth one - was a girl that he recognized instantly.

"Look who we have here." He called out, approaching the small group. "Isn't that lil Foxy?"

The woman perked up, and gave him a small smile.

"Hey there Clay. What have you been up to?"

"Ah, you know, the usual. Wanted to check out this wonderful getaway resort." He said, spreading his arms wide.

"I heard that the food here is to die for. But accomodation prices can be murder. Decided to see for myself, and here I am."

She managed a weak laugh, and shook her head.

"Good to see you still have your terrible sense of humor. Hows Ori?"

"He..," Clay swallowed. "He didn't make it."

Her face fell instantly, as did remained silent for a moment, paying respect to their dead friend. Eventually, Clay shook his head, and put a small smile on his lips. There would be time for grief later. Now they needed to focus on surriving.

"How…"

"We fought against a Wraith, strong one. His Aura got depleted, and he was wounded. It wasn't anything too serious, but the next morning he was already dead."

She let out a staggered breath.

"So, he too was chosen…" she mumbled quietly. Clay raised a single eyebrow, but didn't comment. He wasn't too religious himself, like most people these days. He could have sworn Foxy wasn't either - but hey, he wasn't one to judge.

"Anyway, you hungry? We have some food we can share, and then you could tell us what happened to your team."

She nodded and they all went to kitchen. Clay spared a single glance towards stairs, wondering whatever or not he should call Jaune too, but discarded the idea. He was busy with his own job, no need to interrupt him. Someone could always fill him in later.

* * *

"Still nothing?"

Ren shook his head.

"They are still investigating. Doctor Oobleck said that they will let us know as soon as they find something."

Pyrrha sighed. It was the same story that they got every time they asked. Some small part of her understood that the people in charge probably were doing what they could, but this did nothing to lessen her worries.

It was nearly twenty eight hours since her partner and team leader boarded that damn bullhead.

No one told them any details, but one look at Ozpin's face told them that something had gone wrong. Very wrong. This feeling grew only stronger as time passed, and no one had any new information.

Pyrrha felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Nora giving her a reassuring smile. She tried her best to return it, but it felt weak. She wanted nothing more than to grab someone, anyone, who knew something, and force them to tell them what happened. Problem was, that apparently no one knew what really happened. Beacon, and Vale, was full of rumors, every new one crazier than the last. But no one had any answers.

The only thing they knew for sure was that some city, not far from Vale was in some kind of trouble. Three squads of Hunters were sent to investigate, twenty four in total, all of them experienced veterans.

 _Well, all except of one._  Pyrrha thought bitterly.

It's not that she didn't believe in Jaune. He'd proved himself already, both as a skilled fighter, and a knowledgeable Hunter. But he was the same age as them. Sure, he spent four years traveling with an experienced Hunter - but that didn't made him a veteran.

So why he was sent there? Why had Ozpin stopped them, and team RWBY, from going? What did he mean that they didn't have the equipment, knowledge, or skills necessary to do what Jaune was doing? It's not like any of them were a worse fighter than him. And Pyrrha was certain that she was far better than… well mostly anyone in Beacon. And it wasn't just her ego - though the last two weeks she'd received multiple requests for 'friendly spars.' So far she won every single one, regardless of whether the challenger was a first, a second, or even a third year.

So what were they lacking? Pyrrha doubted four years worth of experience in the field was the reason. Jaune himself said that he and Leon didn't spend all that time in the Wilds.

So many questions, and no one had any answers.

A quiet knocking broke her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Ren opening the door, and letting two people inside.

"Hey guys. How are you doing?" Ruby asked.

Ren looked at his two teammates, and shrugged.

"I'd say rather well… all things considered."

"I guess… still no news about Jaune?"

"Sadly no. They are still investigating, but there is no new information. Or there is, and they simply don't want to share."

"Could be both. This whole thing is fishy as hell." Said Yang, sitting next to Pyrrha.

Nora tilted her head, confused.

"What do you you mean?"

"Think about it. What could happen in a city, only two hours by bullhead from Vale, that would warrant sending so many Hunters? It couldn't be Grimm, any group big enough to cause something like that would be eliminated much earlier. Bandits? The same thing."

"Maybe it was terrorist attack of some sort?" Offered Ren.

"Maybe. But in either case - we would hear something. Someone would call family in Vale, or there would be refugees, or wounded transported to hospitals. But there is nothing. I heard some students in the hallways saying they had family there, and can't contact them. A whole city was cut off, and anyone who tries to come close is turned back."

Ruby shook her head.

"If it's something so big, why would they send Jaune? He is just a first year. This doesn't make sense."

"I know. I tried to confront the Headmaster about it, but he's always busy." Pyrrha said with a tired sigh.

Yang laughed at that.

"Yeah, I know. But don't you think that sending someone every hour or so is a bit much? People are already betting on when you get banned from entering the main tower. Or if you try to break into Ozpin's office." She paused for a moment, looking around as if to check if the were alone, then leaned towards Pyrrha.

"We could lend you Blake when you decide to do it. She has a talent for sneaking." She stage-whispered.

"No need. We have our own ninja." Nora exclaimed, grabbing Ren's arm.

Pyrrha laughed at her friend's antics.

She watched with amusement, as Yang and Nora argued over which team's ninja was better, and then started making plans on how to break into Ozpin's office, with Ruby quipping in from time to time. None of these plan included what to do  _after_  they broke in, but Pyrrha supposed it wasn't the point.

It was just a way to distract them, to give them something to do, so they wouldn't spend the time worrying.

Pyrrha sighed and looked out the window, at the darkening sky. She wondered what Jaune was doing right now. Was he thinking about them? Or was he too busy with something important? Maybe they were worrying for nothing, and it all was taking so long for some stupid, silly reason?

* * *

" _Hey Jaune?"_

" _Yeah?"_

" _Would you come with me?"_

_He blinked a few times, confused._

" _Come.. where?"_

" _Doesn't matter. If I decided to go somewhere far away, would you come with me?"_

" _You mean on a dancing tour? Well, I guess I'm almost full-fledged Hunter now, so I could be your escort."_

_The girl next to him tilted her head, her green eyes locked on his._

" _So you will come?"_

_He considered her for a moment. Why would she ask? He always followed her around, even if she didn't specifically ask. Sure, he might have been late once, or ten times, but he always came._

_Well, that was probably another girl thing. Even after living with so many of them for so long, there were still things about them he didn't understand._

_So he just sent her his best smile and nodded._

" _Will you be on time?"_

_He sighed. Now, that was an unusual question. But he guessed it was justified, considering his track record. Well, this time will be different. He would make it in time - since there was nothing to distract him._

" _Sure. I pro…" He paused when her finger pressed to his lips._

" _Don't." She said, shaking her head, her crismon hair flailing in the wind. Was it just him, or it was getting hotter in here?_

" _Don't… what?" He managed to ask._

_She looked at him, her expression sad._

" _You won't be able to. You still have things to do out there."_

" _Wait what are you…"_

_He didn't manage to finish. She smiled at him sadly, then her face started cracking, and then fell apart, like broken glass. He tried to call out her name, but discovered that he couldn't speak. And it was so hot, as if he is sitting too close to fire._

_He looked around, trying to understand what was happening - only to discover that there was nothing around him. He was floating in some dark space. He couldn't tell left from right, up from down. The only thing he knew was that it was getting hotter and hotter in there._

" _Go, Jaune. You can't afford to be late." He heard her voice._

" _What…" he managed to choke out._

" _No, we don't have time for that! Just hurry up!" It sounded urgent, but he couldn't understand why._

" _Hurry!"_

Jaune awoke with a gasp. His heart was beating a thousand times per second, his breath coming in ragged gasp, and somehow he was feeling incredibly hot and cold at the same time.

"Oi, kid, you alright?" He heard a voice ask . A familiar voice, but he couldn't quite place it. He looked around, but everything was blurry. He vaguely felt something on his chest, something warm. He reached it grab it, and with some surprise discovered it was a hand. He tried to shake his head, to clear his vision, but it only made him nauseous.

He tried to ask what was happening and where he was, but only a horse croak came out. Moments later, something cold was pressed to his lips.

"Here kid, drink. It's water, clean water."

He drank greedily, choking on the cool liquid, and started coughing.

"Easy there kid. Easy. Deep breaths."

He again did as he was told, and after a few moments he calmed down. He looked around again, his vision still foggy, but at least he could make out vague shapes. He was lying in a room that he was quite certain wasn't his, lying on something hard. and there was someone kneeling next to him. He could just make out a few more figures standing around.

 _Did I overdo it with Elixirs again?"_ He thought, trying to get up.

"Easy there kid. Just lay down for a bit."

This time he ignored the voice, pushing himself to a sitting position. He looked up at the man next to him, trying to figure out who it was.

"Leon?" He tried most the obvious answer.

"Afraid not. But glad you are alive kid. We thought you were a goner."

He shook his head again. Who was this man? Where was he? And why did he think he was dead? He certainly acted as though they knew each other, but…

"Move it Clay, you are treating him like he's made of glass." Said another, gruff and unpleasant voice.

"Wait, I'm fine." Jaune managed to spit out. He shook his head again, and looked up, to see the Old Man with one hand raised, ready to slap him.

"Good. Now, what the fuck happened here?"

"I'm… not sure. I was analyzing the samples I collected, and then… I'm not sure."

"Well, you better have something for us after all this trouble. I was ready to skewer your heart."

Jaune laughed nervously.

"Well, yeah. First of all, I don't think this thing is really a poison."

"What?"

Jaune sighed.

"I ran the tests, and I couldn't find any toxin I know of in any of the samples. For all I know, this thing is completely harmless. On its own."

"Kid, stop playing around. Give me details."

"From what I found out this substance doesn't actually kill you. Not in a traditional sense. It affects the brain, most notably parts responsible for long term memory. And a few others, that are responsible for regulating your basic life functions, like breathing and heartbeat."

He sighed, shaking his head.

"This thing is strange. And complicated. I have only a very vague idea of what this is, and how it might work. I think the simplest way to describe it, is that it somehow convinces your brain that you are supposed to die, and then your brain turns off your heart. Somehow." He finished.

There were a few moments of silence after that, before the Old Man cursed, and glared at him.

"Kid, you are not making much sense." He growled.

"This thing doesn't make sense." Jaune growled back.

"So, is this the moment where we should start writing our wills?" Asked Clay.

Jaune considered it for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. From what I found out, this substance isn't too… potent. It won't activate as long as your life functions remain active at normal levels."

"Kid…" Old Man growled again.

"Aura will keep you alive. And even if you lose all of it, you should be fine as long as you stay awake."

"You don't sound too convinced kid."

Jaune looked at the older man for a few moments, then just shrugged and got up.

"Because I'm not. But considering we are still alive after the first night, I think my guess is pretty good. Anyway, one thing I'm sure about is that I will be able to make something to neutralize this thing. If I have to."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… what's the point? We can just go back to Vale, give them a few samples, and…" he trailed off, and looked over the gathered people. Some wore serious expressions, some were shifting nervously. Even the Old Man looked concerned.

_Ok, this can't be good._

"There is something important I don't know about, right?"

"Yeah. Look at this." Clay showed him his scroll. There were photos of the strange egg-like things they saw near one of the underground lakes. But these were sitting in the middle of the street.

"I don't like it already. And I know I'm gonna regret it, but could someone give me some details?"

"While you were busy up there, I sent a few folks to scout the area. They found a shit-ton of Ghouls, but strangely enough they weren't too aggressive. They saw a few drinking from a broken hydrant. After a few moments they turned into those eggs."

"Any chance this is normal stuff, and I just never heard about it before?" Asked Jaune, cleary not expecting a good answer.

"Dunno. I haven't heard about anything like that though." Answered the Old Man.

"Do we know what came out of them?"

"Yeah. Security cameras picked up a moment where they hatched."

Clay browsed his scroll for a moment, before giving it to Jaune again. The recording was short, and rather poor quality, but it showed what was important.

Creatures, for there were two of them, and they didn't looked like any Ghoul Jaune had ever seen before. They were much leaner, about as high as a normal human. Their legs and arms looked similar to that of a praying mantis, just bulkier. The torso remaned vaguely human-shaped, with the head looking like a mix between that of insect and human. Spikes growing from its shoulders and elbows completed the perfect image of an alien bug.

They were in the same cave with a small lake he saw on the monitors when they found Huwe dead. But there was one new detail that caught his eye, besides the two monsters that is - several severed human heads arranged in neat row by the one of the walls.

"Most of Team Two, three of them are from Team One." Clay answered his unasked question.

"How do you know?"

"That patrol I mentioned earlier? They found one survivor from team one. She identified some of the people. And gave insight on just how dangerous these things are. One of them attacked her team one not long after they entered the city. Killed one guy, heavily wounded another, then retreated. Soon after the Ghouls came, and they got overwhelmed, had to retreat to one of the houses, and barricade there. They decided to spend the night. This thing snuck inside and killed two of them when they were asleep."

"How does she knew it was the same creatures?"

"She woke up at night, to see it sitting there, with one head impaled on each of its elbow blades, and bodies lying next to it. It stared at her for a few moments, let out some strange sound, and walked away. She woke up rest of her team, and they attempted to retreat. The Ghouls found them, and they were separated from each other. She confirmed that at least two more died in this fight."

Jaune stared at the Old Man for a few moments, then looked back at the photo. Then walked towards the window, and peeked outside, noticing multiple black figures walking around.

"I have no idea what's going on here, but we cant let more of these things spawn. They are too dangerous." The Old Man said, standing next to him.

All Jaune could do was nod. Things looked bad.

Very bad.

* * *

**Fun thing about this arc - when I initially started writing it, I thought it would be a short one, two chapter, in-and-out type of thing. Needless to say, it didn't go according to plan. But I think it should end soon - next chapter, or the one after that should be the last one.**

**Anyway here is little omake of Jaune training:**

* * *

Jaune rolled to the side, avoiding the wooden blade that came down on the spot he was in just a moment ago. He pushed himself up, and took his stance. The next attack came soon after, a slash coming from his left, followed by a downward slash on his right shoulder when the first attack was blocked by Jaune's shield. Jaune managed to deflect this one, and answered with a shield bash of his own. It didn't connect, but then he didn't expect it to - all he wanted was to break his opponent's rhythm.

Jaune eyed his opponent - Leon was standing about two meters from him, in Fool's stance. The distance either of them could cover in the blink of the eye.

_Want me to attack? Yeah, sure, as if I'll make it easier for you._

Jaune settled into his own stance, content to wait. By now, he knew that attacking Leon when he was in this stance was a dumb idea. From this position he could answer any incoming attack in multiple ways, making it very hard to defend against his counters. Jaune managed to bait him only once, a few months ago, and his teacher never fell for it again.

_SO, what are you gonna do, Leon? I can stand like that all day if I have to._

To his surprise, his teacher relaxed, resting his sword on his shoulder.

"Ok, that's enough for today."

Jaune blinked a few times, surprised, but lowered his guard only when Leon turned away, rested his sword against a tree and started drinking from his canteen.

"We are finishing early today?" He asked just to make sure.

Leon looked back at him, one eyebrow raised.

"What are you talking about? We were going at it for two hours, almost non-stop."

Jaune blinked a few times, surprised. Two hours? That was crazy. He usually didn't last more than a few minutes…right?

Truth to be told, he never bothered to check how long his training session with Leon lasted. Mostly because with as far away from civilization as they usually were, there was little point in checking what hour it was. You woke up when the sun rose, and went to sleep when it was too dark to travel safely. They ate launch when sun was at its zenith, and started his combat training when it was around halfway towards the horizon.

The other reason Jaune didn't keep track of how long their sparring sessions lasted was to not make himself feel worse about his losses. He knew he never lasted long, no point in bringing his mood down even further by actually seeing how fast he was beaten down.

But then again, they were training for… how long again? Jaune honestly started losing track of time. It was several months for sure. Six? Eight? He wasn't sure, but maybe he really did make some progress? Jaune focused on his body. It was aching all over, both from exhaustion, and the multiple hits he received, but he wasn't totally spent. He was confident he could keep fighting for at least a little while.

His lips slowly stretched in a small smile. But he didn't allow himself to celebrate just yet.

"Does that mean…?" He asked, standing next to Leon, and taking sip from his own canteen.

The older Hunter must have noticed the excitement in his voice because he smiled too.

"Yep. You cleared Leone's Special Endurance Challenge. Good work."

Jaune had to try really hard to not start jumping around cheering. LSEC - and Jaune still thought this acronym sounded silly - was something Leon set as sort of milestone for him. A test he had to complete before he had his Aura unlocked.

_Ok, keep it calm, keep it professional. Don't act like a kid that is about to get his favorite cake._

"Does it mean you will unlock my Aura now?!" He squeaked, excited.

_Well, close enough._

Leon shook his head, then looked at him, a wide smile on his lips. Jaune could tell the man was amused by his behavior, but also proud. It was finally happening! He would have...

"No." Came the short replay.

Jaune's brain needed almost a full minute to process this information.

"WHY?!" He whined.

"Simple. I don't know how."

There was another minute of absolute silence.

"Wha.. But…" Jaune had trouble articulating a proper response.

Leon just sighed, and sat down, patting the spot next to him. Reluctantly, Jaune joined his mentor.

"It's not easy, unlocking someone's Aura. I heard there are people in Mistral who know how to do it, but outside of that?" He shook his head. "Just think about it for a moment. How many Hunters have you heard of that had their Aura unlocked by someone else?"

Jaune considered it for a few moments, before realizing Leon was right. Every Hunter he met, had always talked about how he, or she, unlocked their own Aura,. No one ever told him someone else did it for them.

"So, what I'm supposed to do now?" Jaune asked to no one in particular.

"Don't worry about it. It will awaken eventually."

The blond boy sighed.

"But what's the point of all this training without Aura? I mean…" He paused, seeing as Leon raised his hand.

"There is a point, and an important one. You see, Aura is not as convenient as many people think. It will make you faster, stronger, and more resilient, sure. But it will be increased based on how strong, fast, and resilient you were already. The stronger your body is, the stronger Aura boost you can handle. If you could lift two kilograms in each hand, with Aura you might be able to lift four. But if you train to the point you are be able to lift ten normally - with Aura you will be able to lift thirty. It's like in some games - the higher your base stats - the better bonuses you get."

"I see… But I can train when I already have my Aura, right?"

"Yeah, but it's harder to progress that way. To use the game analogy again - if without Aura you need to train for two hours to get a single point increase in, let's say, strength, with Aura you would need to train for six. And it gets even harder, the higher your base stats are. Sure, you can you make the training more intense - lift more, or run faster, but there are limits."

He considered something for a moment.

"Another reason to train before unlocking your Aura is more combat related. You see, if you start training with it active, you might get this false sense of security. A lot of kids that got their Aura unlocked day one think themselves invincible. And they had to learn the hard way that it's not the case. If they are lucky, a teacher, parent, or some friend will do it for them. If not, the Grimm will teach them."

"I see." Jaune nodded. They sat there in silence for a few moments, before Jaune got up.

"So, will we be setting camp here? It's still an hour or so before it starts getting dark…"

Leon shook his head.

"Nah. There is a village.. Well more of a small city really, nearby. We will spend the night there, possibly fa ew if we find a job." He winked at Jaune. "Who knows. Maybe we will find someone who knows how to unlock your Aura."

"Sure. As if it would be so convenient. Knowing my luck, I will unlock it by fighting some hellish abomination, far out of my league."

Leon just laughed.

"Maybe. But I get the feeling you will unlock it pretty soon. Now, let's keep going. Soft beds, a warm bath, and food almost as good as yours awaits!"

Jaune chuckled, and picked up his backpack.

"Hey Leon? What is this place called anyway?"

"Kuroyuri."

* * *

**Yeah, Jaune and Leon, after weeks, possibly months of roughing it in the Wilds, are finally going back to civilization. I'm sure they will receive warm welcome in this lovely city.**


	20. Into the Heart of Darknes

**CH 19**

* * *

The plan was simple. Survive the night, develop a purging agent, deliver it to all four poisoned underground lakes and eliminate any eggs of the new Harrowed, that they'd nicknamed 'Headhunters.'

It went quite well too - Clay used his Semblance to melt and seal the metal door separating the mansion from caves where the Headhunters lived. They still kept watch, and never went anywhere alone. Jaune was making good progress with the purging agent, and everything was looking good.

Right up till around midnight, when Doc - an experienced Hunter in his mid-thirties, the same person who was patching up Jaune and Ori after their fight with the Warper - ran out of the mansion half-naked, screaming at the top of his lungs that he was 'chosen,' and that 'I am about to ascend'.

They managed to catch him and drag back to the mansion before the Ghouls, or Headhunters got to him, but the man was struggling the whole time. They had to bind and gag him. Soon after, Clay started to act strange - talking to himself, calling out to people that weren't there, not reacting when they tried to talk to him. Thankfully, he didn't try to do anything crazy, and returned to normal after Foxy slapped him in the face.

Now every Hunter was gathered in the meeting room. None of them looked good.

"So, how's Doc?" Asked the Old Man.

Clay sighed.

"Clam now. Foxy is keeping an eye on him."

"Good. So, considering the fact that we apparently are starting to hallucinate, I think none of you ladies will argue with the idea that we need to speed up our plans a bit?"

There were a few grunts of approval, before Cap - a silent man with red eyes, red hair, and dressed in simple t-shirt, jeans, and jacket - all in different shades of red - spoke up.

"Do we know what caused these hallucinations?"

"Yes. I ran some blood tests, and it turns out that the concentration of this, let's call it a mutagen, in our blood rose significantly. Mine is at six percent, Clay's was around eight. It wasn't even one percent last time I checked. The concentration in air went up too, to around ten percent."

"Fuck. Any idea how?"

Clay linked his scroll to the screen on one of the walls. Moments after, it displayed a photo of one of the underground lakes.

"Yeah. Look at that." He said, pointing to some strange device sitting in the middle of the lake.

"This is only one pipe with one of these things attached. At first I thought this was a part of the water distribution system - a filter or something like that, but I found plans for the whole installation in the control room, and there is no mention of such device."

He tapped a few buttons on his scroll, and the display changed to a live feed from the cameras.

"What is even more interesting is that it activated only about four hours ago. No idea how, because no one entered the caves, but the fact is it's working now. And producing steam."

The Old Man raised eyebrow at that.

"Steam? What for?"

"Probably to get the mutagen into the air. It's probably more efficient to do it that way than to use candles, or wait for people to drink it in water. Plus, it would make it easier to spread over large areas." All eyes turned to Jaune. They looked like they were considering his words, maybe looking for alternative explanations.

Judging by their expressions, none of them liked the conclusions they reached.

"So, does that mean we have to go down there and destroy that thing?" Cap asked.

"Not necessarily." All eyes again focused on blond Witcher. "We can actually use it to our advantage. If I deliver the antidote to the lake, that device would help spread it instead of the mutagen."

The Old Man nodded.

"Good call. Then I assume the antidote is ready?"

"Almost. Give me about an hour or so, just to make sure everything is in order."

"Good. Now onto our second problem. Headhunters. We know there are at least five of them out there, and more ready to hatch at any moment. We can't leave those fuckers alone, they are far too smart. But with us not knowing how many of them there are, more ready to spawn at any moment, and all the Ghouls around - we are short on options. So here is what we're gonna do. We split into two teams. Toto and Jaune will go to the lake with the vaporizer, or whatever it is called, and purge it. The rest of us will head for the cave where we saw the eggs. We have three jobs - drag any attention away from kid and Toto, kill any Headhunter we find, and destroy as many eggs as we can. As soon as those two are done with their job, we get back, seal the doors, and get the hell out of this city."

"What about eggs above ground?"

The Old Man sighed.

"I would love to take them out. But there is just too many hostiles around, and that's not even taking into account all the Grimm that sure as hell to show up sooner rather than later. We need to get out of here, and let HQ know what happened here. Sure, we are close to Vale, so there won't be too many Grimm, but we are all ragged as it is. This is not a job for seven people."

He looked over them, a serious expression on his face.

"Any more questions?"

There were none, and soon they left the meeting room. Clay caught Jaune as he was leaving, asking if he needed any help with the antidote. The blond refused, and headed back to his laboratory, closed door, sat in the chair and sighed.

Of course, the weird monstrosity that he had been seeing ever since meeting started followed him. He didn't see it actually move, It had just sitting on the table in front of him ever since the Old Man started talking, staring at him with its big eyes and wiggling its four tentacles. When Jaune left the room, it was still sitting there, but now when he closed door and looked at his work table - it was there, still staring at him, and still wiggling.

It was annoying.

With a scowl, he got up and walked up to a chemical aperture sitting on the large table, patiently ignoring the… thing, watching him the whole time. It was just a hallucination anyway.

Right?

With a heavy sigh he picked one beaker, swirled it and watched the greenish liquid inside. He put a few drops of it into several sample tubes, watching how the content reacted to the antidote. A few minutes later, when nothing exploded, he nodded with a smile.

_Ok, this should do._

But would it? He was basically going in blind. He still had no idea what exactly this mutagen was composed off. This whole antidote was just his wild guess. It could fix things, sure, but it could as easily make them worse.

_Ok, finally check up time. Did I forget anything?_

He started running through what he knew in his head, looking for anything he could, his eyes wandered around his improvised laboratory. He spared a single glance at his unwanted, and not-existing companion, and scoffed.

This thing was really getting on his nerves. And was it just him, or did it get bigger?

Jaune shook his head. There was no time to be concerned about mere hallucinations. He had very real, and very serious problem at hand, one that he had to give his full attention.

So, the antidote. It was as good as it gets, especially considering the limited equipment, supplies, and time he had to work with. Sure, there wasn't much of it, not nearly enough to purge all four lakes. But for one? Yeah, it should be enough.

Or that was what he was telling himself. Truth was, he wasn't - and couldn't - be sure. There were a million things that could go wrong, his mixture failing to do anything being least of his worries.

Jaune set the beaker with his creation on the table, and focused on it, as if by just staring at it he could figure out if it would work or not.

_Is there anything else I could do? Any improvements? Maybe make a less concentrated version, so the other guys can drink it? It should help ease some of the symptoms…_

Jaune hummed. The idea was tempting, very tempting, but did they had time? Contrary to what many people believed, making a less concentrated version of medicine was rarely as simple as adding more water to it. There were proportions that had to be kept, and…

He sighed and shook his head. He was just getting himself distracted. He really had to focus, it was no time to be thinking about useless things. Jaune focused on analyzing his antidote. Or tried to.

A black tentacle that slipped around his hand and went into the beaker did a pretty good job of distracting him.

 _Just ignore it._ He told himself, totally not ignoring the now two tentacles wiggling in front of his eyes.

_They're not real._

He thought, watching as a few more appeared in his field of vision. Some came from the sides, some from above him, and some from under the table.

 _Ignore them._ He ordered himself, fully focused on one, much thicker than others, that started to wrap itself around his right hand. Or was it thicker? Jaune couldn't really tell. It looked that way, but the way it wrapped itself around his finger, each coil right next to another, made it look like it didn't have any depth, like it was just a black ribbon.

It continued to run around his hand, painting his skin pitch-black. When it reached the elbow, Jaune swung around and...

Close.

Too close.

And far too big. Jaune had no idea how something so big could come so close to him - until he remembered that it was just a hallucination. That totally wasn't real, and he totally didn't fell its tentacles wrapping around him, painting him black, and it for sure didn't have blue eyes just like his, and its face certainly didn't resembled his, and…

A small, deformed hand started raising slowly, Jaune observing it in morbid fascination. One finger pointed at him, the black limb getting closer and closer.

Jaune could move. He could turn around, he could walk away, or even  _though_  it. It wasn't real after all. He totally could do it.

The finger was close now, very close, filling most of his vision. The only thing except it he could see were blue eyes, so similar - he meant totally unlike his.

Jaune swallowed.

The finger touched his forehead.

His world went black.

* * *

_The story the villagers had told him had been like all Harrowed origin stories._

_Fucking horrifying._

_The young girl, only twelve or so, had been kidnapped and taken to a cabin in the woods by some traveling trader, God help him if he ever found him. No one was entirely sure what had occured in that cabin, but...one could imagine._

_He shuddered. Some people were worse than Grimm._

_Once the traveler had his fill of whatever torture he had inflicted on the girl, he locked the door to the cabin and lit it on fire...with her still inside._

_Now the village had a class 2 Harrowed, because of course it did. These people didn't deserve this, which is why he accepted their meager offer to deal with it. To bring them, and her, peace._

_Now all he had to do is not die in the process._

_He began arranging his supplies for the Elixir, not for the first time thinking on how similar the process was to cooking, a skill his sisters ensured he was all too familiar with. Both called for the highest quality ingredients, both required strict adherence to the recipe, and the results of both were greater than the sum of their parts. He'd shared this observation with his master once. He'd snorted, and then eloquently provided his own observation. 'But you don't die in agony if you fuck up a cake. Unless you fuck it up REALLY bad.' He was deep like that, his master._

_The death by fire, and the charred homes of the villagers, indicated that he was probably dealing with a fire-based Harrow, and he'd chosen his supplies accordingly._

_Witch Hazel, Aloe, Mallow Root, and Oak Bark, all natural cures for burns the would help shape the nature of the potion, help dull it into a usable, and most importantly, non-lethal form. All of this was to offset the main ingredient, Ice Dust. He carefully measured out the exact about and mixed it in with the paste he'd made of the other ingredients before pouring it into his flask._

_He hesitated a moment before bringing the bottle to his lips. Fun fact about ingesting high-tier Dust Elixirs… it hurt like a bitch._

_In for a penny…_

_He drained the flask in a single go, then immediately began convulsing. The pain and shaking slowly subsiding let him know that he'd managed to get the mixture right. Master would be proud._

_As he regained his senses, he began walking through the dense forest in the direction that the villagers told him the cabin had once sat._

_Sure enough, it hadn't taken him long to find her. Standing in the middle of a burned clearing was a Harrowed, with jet black skin and formed in a mockery of what the little girl had once looked like, complete with a snow white dress. There were the fangs and razor sharp claws to consider too, he supposed._

" _Hi Sam."_

_The matted mop of black hair turned his way and red eyes found his. Her mouth curled up into a grin, revealing row after row of serrated teeth._

_She screamed, and fire shot out from her in every direction, washing over him like a wave. Not dying again was another confirmation the potion was working. His skin heated and blistered, but held under the onslaught._

_He was in motion now. Movement born of countless hours of training carried him forward as he weaved between the flames. His black blade was in his hand as he closed the distance, it was the only thing that would matter here._

_The first cut elicited a shriek as it bit into her arm. She stuck out in protest, but he was no longer there, he danced around her, his blade flicking out again and again, painting the ground black with blood. She spun and flailed wildly, trying to find something to hit, something to share her pain with. As she overreached in one particularly violent attempt, he found what he was looking for. An opening._

_His blade bit deep, sinking into her side, silencing the next wail in her throat as blood began to spill from her lips._

_He caught her as she fell. Her face was changing now, gone was the rage and hate, the blackness receded from her, leaving the visage of a scared little girl._

" _It's ok Sam, you're ok. You don't have to hurt anymore." He comforted as he stroked her hair._

" _Just let go."_

_She opened her mouth one last time, whether to speak or scream he'd never know. Her eyes started to grow dark, and eventually stilled, all traces of life, even this fake one, gone._

_He closed them for her as her body began to fade. In moments she was gone._

_His shoulders slumped under an invisible weight_

" _Sorry I was late." He whispered, a lone tear falling down his cheek._

* * *

Jaune woke with a gasp. He looked around, his hand searching for his sword, and his heart threatening to burst out of his chest. After a moment, he calmed down. He was not in the forest, but in monster-infested city.

Good. Very good.

He sighed and got up, one hand massaging his forehead, trying to remember what happened.

_I was making a final check on the antidote, then that thing showed up, and I passed out…_

He looked around, but there were no traces of his companion. Jaune sighed, closing his eyes, and recalling dream the he had. The dark forest, the small clearing, the burned down house.

And small girl turned into a monster.

He remembered it well. How could he not?

It was first Harrowed he killed on his own, without Leon's help or supervision.

He shook his head to dispel the memories. It wasn't the time, nor the place for this.

Instead he grabbed the beaker with the antidote, and poured it into his canteen. If all went well, he would have no need to hold water in it.

And if things went wrong? Well, then he wouldn't need the water, or anything else, ever again. Happy with his work, he turned towards door. Better to not drag this out any longer. He doubted he was out for long, someone would have come to check on him, but it was best to not let Leon wait - the asshole was…

Jaune paused. Something felt wrong. It's as if…

Ah, right. Leon wasn't there. This wasn't Mistral, this wasn't the small town of Sakurafubuki, that he and Leon visited on a whim, mostly because they were low on supplies, and there were some kind of festival going on there. Jaune couldn't recall what exactly, but he was sure that…

The blond hunter shook his head, dispeling these thoughts. He was getting distracted again. This wouldn't do. With sigh, and another shake of his head, he opened the door, stepping into the corridor.

The first thing that he noticed was the smell of blood.

Second - the bodies lying around.

Third was the boney blade flying towards his face. He barely managed to duck under it, but he could do nothing to protect himself from the second one. It send him sprawling on the ground. Before he could recover, both mantis-like limbs came down, one piercing his right shoulder, the second going straight through his stomach.

Jaune somehow managed to not cry out in pain, instead he tried desperately to reach something, anything to use as weapon.

The Headhunter that was pinning him to the floor raised his head, and let out a strange howl they heard the first night they spent in the city. It was cut short when a black sword removed its head.

Jaune gasped in relief, even though he was still pinned to the ground. He looked up at the Old Man, and even managed a small smile.

It died an ugly death when his savior collapsed right next to him. The old Witcher was in terrible shape. Multiple wounds covered his whole body. He was missing his right eye, and left arm at the shoulder. There was nasty cut wound on his stomach, and his left thigh was pierced.

Jaune opened his mouth to speak, but the Old Man beat him to it.

"Finally decided to show yourself kiddo?"

Jaune tried to answer, but discovered he couldn't say a world.

"We were attacked like half an hour ago. Though they got you first when you didn't show up."

Jaune could only stare at him.

The Old Man chuckled.

"Well I guess it doesn't matter now. Everyone else is dead. And by the looks of it we both will be joining them soon."

Jaune scowled. How could this be happening? How could he pass out, just when his team was attacked. If only he was awake to help them. The blond hunter managed to free himself, and crawled to the older man. He tried to stem the bleeding from his wounds, but it was looking bad. Very bad.

The older man let out a chuckle, that turned into coughing.

"Don't bother. I'm done for. We both are."

Jaune tried to tell him to not give up, that he would get them both out of there.. the Old Man just shook his head, and pointed to the side, to a small balcony overlooking the entrance hall. Jaune crawled to the edge and peeked over it.

Too many.

There were too many of them. They filled the whole hall, and through the busted doors he could see many, many more milling outside. Jaune's brain struggled to comprehend what he was seeing.

"They all hatched. Not long ago, but we were overwhelmed before we could even think what to do. Guess that antidote of yours came a bit too late."

Jaune could barely hear the older man. He barely noticed the footsteps coming from behind him, the Old Man's weak struggles, and the sound of something sharp piercing something soft and meaty.

He ignored the creature that walked up to him. All he could do was stared at what was before him.

Too Late. Too weak.

Wasn't that the story of his life? He always was late for an important meeting. He was always too weak to get the job done when it mattered. Why had even tried to become a Hunter? He knew full well he wasn't cut out for this. But he tried anyway, and people paid the price for his mistakes.

Well, it looks like his incompetence finally caught up to him. There was no way he could get out of this situation. There were no one to save him, no one to suffer the consequences of his failures for him.

Well, there were, and they did. But it was not enough this time.

 _Well, I guess this is it._ He thought, turning on his back. At the very least he would look at his killer.

Yeah, this was it. He could struggle, try to drag it out. He might even be able to kill the Headhunter in front of him - but what about the hundreds he saw below? It was best to cease struggling, to just let it go.

With a tired sigh, Jaune closed his eyes, a small smile on his lips.

_Yeah, sure._

His eyes snapped open, and with a roar, he pushed himself up, turning and tackling the creature that…

"Woah, easy there." Called out a surprised Clay.

Jaune blinked a few times, and looked around. He was still in his laboratory. A confused and worried Clay was kneeling next him, canteen filled with water in one hand, the other on his chest. Foxy was kneeling on his other side, a wet piece of clothing in her hand.

The Old Man was leaning on door frame, his usual scowl adorning his face.

"Finally awake, princess? I swear, if you're gonna take nap every time…"

"Oh, shut it. We don't have time for your bickering Old Man." Jaune growled, getting up. He half expected the older man to refute him for that, but to his surprise, the old Witcher just smiled, cleary amused.

"We got a lot work to do, and we gotta do it fast. This thing gets more potent by the minute. The antidote is ready, we can go anytime."

The Old Man nodded with approval.

"Good. Let's get this over with."

* * *

The Old Man looked over his team, or what was left of it. Six people, seven counting Foxy, who insisted she was going too. He wasn't sure if bringing her along was a good idea - she looked like she was ready to collapse at any moment.

Then again, none of them looked too good. Doc somehow pulled himself together, but he was still shooting nervous glances around. Cap was calm, the only person who still hadn't had any hallucinations. Or was very good at pretending. Toto looked relaxed of all things. Whether this was confidence, or arrogance - only time would tell.

His eyes drifted to Jaune, the youngest of them all. And yet again he considered whatever or not let the kid come with them. He was clearly on his last leg, if the harsh breathing, bags under his eyes, and the way he was swaying were any indication.

The only reason he was bringing him with them was that there was no safe place to leave him at. And they needed every pair of hands for this to work out.

"How it's going?" He asked.

"Almost done." Clay's voice sounded from behind him. He was working on unsealing the doors to the caves below them. The Old Man sighed. If he was one of these hero types, this would be moment to give some epic, inspirational speech.

Well, he wasn't a hero. He was a professional, here to do a job. As was everyone else.

_Well, I guess saying a few words couldn't hurt._

"Ok, since I know you all were taking trips to La La land, I will repeat the plan for you, using simple words. Kid and Toto, you go straight for the lake with the vaporizer, or whatever that thing is. You put the antidote in, and you join back with us. We will head straight for the Headhunters nest, destroy the eggs, kill anything that gets in our way, and get out. The kid warned us that air down there will probably contain much more of the mutagen, so we need to act fast." Once we are done, we are getting out of this damn city. No looking back, no stopping to grab souvenirs, we are heading straight for Vale. The people there need to hear about what happened here. Everything clear?"

They all nodded.

"Clay?"

The sound of metal doors falling on stone floor was his answer.

"Move." He ordered.

They passed through the doors one by one, going deeper and deeper into the dark cave. Soon the only thing left was sound of they footsteps, but it too was swallowed by darkness.

* * *

The cave was dark, damp, and unnaturally hot. Jaune decided that it must have been like, the third worst cave he had ever been in.

_At least it's not too big. And I have map._

That was a plus. A minus was that his companion was giving him the creeps. He hadn't said a word ever since they entered the cave. Even before that he was eerily quiet. And that smile of his - it was as if he knew something no one else did, and it amused him.

_Or he is hallucinating, and sees something pleasant. Lucky bastard._

Jaune on the other hand we seeing his guardian devil again. He freaked out the first time he saw him, sitting in the middle of the corridor, the only visible thing was its glowing, blue eyes. He stabbed it, just to make sure it wasn't real.

Sure enough, Eclipse passed through it without any resistance, electing a raised eyebrow from his companion.

After around thirty minutes, they were approaching the target. He could hear the occasional gunshot, indicating that the other group had engaged the enemy already.

Jaune looked over the cave they had in front of them - it wasn't too big, most of it was taken up by the lake. There was a giant pipe coming out of it, and disappearing into one of the walls, and the strange device they had seen on the cameras.

"Guess this is it. I don't see any eggs, or other entrances. Can you keep watch on this tunnel? I only need a minute."

Toto noded, and Jaune started walking towards lake, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Here, drink this. It's hot in here, wouldn't want you to collapse." Said Toto, offering him his canteen. Jaune hesitated only for a second. A cold, slightly sour liquid washed over his throat, bringing instant relief.

"Thanks." He muttered, turning around and heading straight for lake, trying, and failing, to ignore the thing that floated around half a meter before him, at about eye level.

He sighed and looked around, just to make sure there were no enemies waiting to ambush him. Seeing nothing, he kneeled at the edge of the lake, and pulled a sizable bottle made of dark glass. He uncorked it, ready to pour its contents into lake. It was hot here, very hot, no doubt the fault of this damn device. His vision swam, and he could swear he could smell cherry.

It was ridiculous of course, they were deep underground, but the smell was there, as were the voices. He couldn't make out any words, it was just a hum in his head, and coupled with the exhaustion, heat, and this damn thing still floating in front of him, he was more than ready to finally get this all over with and get the hell out of this city. Jaune's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong. His vision was blurry, but he could swear that it had changed somehow…

It took him a few seconds to realize that he was lying on his side on the not so cold stone floor.

"You are a tough one. I was sure it would knock you out sooner." He heard Toto's voice call out. He held the black bottle Jaune had drank from just a few moments ago. He considered it for a moment, then threw it in the corridor they just come through.

"Sorry about that." He said, sitting in front of Jaune, a small smile on his lips. "But I can't let you ruin everything. I'll be honest with you here, young man, I had my doubts when I saw you entering the bullhead. I thought you are just some stupid kid, in way over his head. But I must admit, I was wrong. You handled yourself formidably out there." He bowed his head, and it might be the heat, hallucinations, exhaustion, or something else, but Jaune could swear he saw respect in Toto's eyes.

"To be honest, that Warper was supposed to take out the Old Man. Plan was for you to die, and it gathering enough power to be able to kill rest of our team. To think you would come up with such a bold strategy." He shook his head, chuckling.

Jaune glared at the older man. He didn't trust his throat to be able to produce words.

"You are probably wondering why I'm doing this? What possibly could I gain?" He smiled, and chuckled again.

"I have confession to make Jaune. When I first allied myself with Master, it was for the lowest possible reason - money. You see, a man with my standing has needs, needs that aren't cheap. I accepted his proposal only because he was paying very well, I cared nothing for his vision. Oh, how much of a fool I was!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air.

He looked back at Jaune with a friendly smile.

"It took me a few months to realize how great of a man he was. A man with a vision! I should be honored that I could assist him in his great venture! When I finally saw the truth, I did everything I could to help him achieve his goal."

Jaune's eyes narrowed. It was a hard choice to let the muscle-relaxing agent that was in Toto's drink take effect, but since it wasn't anything lethal, Jaune figured he could maybe learn something interesting if he pretended he was caught off-guard.

It was a risky move, but it looked like it was paying off. Toto apparently loved the sound of his own voice, and was apparently allied with the bastard responsible for all of this.

_Just let him talk. Maybe he will spill some info that will let me find that bastard._

Toto paused, and was now looking at Jaune, his head tilted to the side, an unreadable expression on his face.

"You know what Jaune? I respect you. Really. You achieved a lot in these four years you were traveling with Leon." Some of the surprise Jaune felt must have shown on his face, because Toto chuckled again. Jaune decided he would punch him, two additional times, just because he had to listen to the annoying sound.

"Oh, yes I know all about you and your teacher. You two brought no end of trouble to Master. Well, did you know that the Wraith in Heartbreak Ridge you killed was the first successful Ascension? Master was heartbroken when he learned the poor girl perished." Toto shook his head, sadness clear on his face.

_Ok, this confirmed it. He is crazy too._

"He wanted to do some terrible things to you, you know? But I stopped him. It would have broke him. He is such a gentle man, doing things like he had planned out of rage..." Toto shook his head. "He would never forgive himself. I convinced him that you were not evil, but misguided. That you did what you thought was best."

Toto chuckled again. Jaune forced himself to stay down.

"He accepted it easily. It took us some time, but we finally came up with a plan to make you see the truth. You see, Master developed some attachment to you. He said you remind him of someone he was close to in the past."

Jaunes eyes widened. Could it be…?

Toto laughed, and shook his head.

"Oh, but I'm getting distracted. I wouldn't want to bore you."

_Oh, please, by all means, continue._

"Afterall, I have to take care of the rest of our team. Can't let them destroy all of Master's creations, right?" He said with a smile.

"I don't know. We are doing pretty well, if I say so myself."

Toro whipped around, drawing his weapon - a long dagger, with a black and green blade. It looked to be Dust-infused, but Jaune couldn't see anything indicating it was mecha-shifting.

"Oh my. This is surprising. What brings you here, my friend?"

"Well, the Old Man was worried what take you two so long. We were done with nest, so he sent me to check up on you. Looks like it was a good call."

Toto just laughed easily.

"Oh no, I assure you that everything is under control. Your concern is totally unwarranted."

Clay shot him a deadpan stare.

"Toto, cut the crap. I'm not in the mood for mind games. Jaune is lying there, and I was there long enough to hear you confess to multiple kidnappings, assisting in murders, assisting a wanted criminal, and to top it all - planning on killing all of us. So stop treating me like idiot, ok?'

Toto gasped in shock, and for some reason, Jaune was certain man really was surprised.

"Kill?" He repeated, clearly shocked. His face twisted, and after a moment he burst out laughing. It wasn't mad cackling, or anything like that. He was genuinely amused, laughing his guts out.

"Kill? No, dear… No! Why would I want to kill you? I admit, the thought crossed my mind, and I might even have tried it at first. But it's no longer a case, I assure you."

He smiled. A genuine, friendly smile. Jaune could feel his heartbeat speeding up. This man was clearly insane.

"Why would I want to kill you? Afterall, we all were chosen. And soon, we will Ascend."

Jaune had enough. He locked his eyes with Clay, and made subtle cutting movement with his hand. Fortunately, Clay caught up on what he meant. He moved to the side, pointing his weapon at Toto.

"Well, you forgive me if I don't believe you. And I don't recall applying for this ascension of yours. So how about you drop your weapon and surrender quietly."

As expected, Toto turned with Clay, keeping what he believed to be the only threat in front of him. Soon enough, Jaune was behind him.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. This dagger is an important item, handed to me by Master."

"Well, then I'll have to take it away from you."

Toto smirked.

"I'd like so see you try. You are wounded, exhausted, and low on Aura. And on top of that, my Semblance allows me attack at range. You don't stand a chan…" He was interrupted, when Jaune tackled him from behind. Clay followed, intending to pin the other Hunter to the ground.

A sudden shockwave sent them both backwards.

Toto got up, panting heavily.

"My, my, what a surprise. Did you lie to us? Your records in the Company database suggested your Semblance is some form of poison immunity. That's why I prepared something that wasn't poison to knock you out."

He looked at Jaune with narrowed eyes. There were no anger in them, only surprise.

"And you told us the same earlier. I assume that was a lie?"

Jaune chuckled.

"Not at all. All I said was that my Semblance makes me immune to poisons. I never said that it was the only thing it could do."

Toto laughed.

"Ha. Good move, young man. Always keep a few secrets up your sleeve. Well, it won't matter once you Ascend, but I respect it nonetheless."

Clay scoffed.

"Cut the crap Toto. That little stunt cleary cost you a lot. No way you'll be able to pull it off again, without resting. And we won't give you enough time."

His words went entirely ignored. Toto was still staring at Jaune, considering something.

"You know, we really hoped it would work…" He began. Clay made to attack, but Jaune stopped him.

 _Let him talk,_ he mouthed to his friend.

Clay nodded, and focused back on their opponent.

"We figured that if it was someone close to you, you would understand. That's why we picked that girl."

Jaune stilled. All thought left him. He forget everything - the cave, the Headhunters, the whole damned city. All he could feel was heat that had nothing to do with the temperature of the air. All he could hear was the beating of his heart, louder, and louder by the second.

"Yes, we were so sure it would work. Master put extra effort into making sure her Ascension would go off without a hitch." He shook his head, sadly.

"She was such a sweet girl. It would have went perfectly, if only you had waited a bit more. But you stopped the process at the most important moment. She couldn't move on, and I'm sure she didn't want to come back. Poor, poor girl."

Toto's eyes snapped to Jaune's.

"You killed her, didn't you?"

"NO! She is still alive! You failed, I saved her!"

Toto titled his head to the side.

"Really? Because I'm sure that there was no coming back from place she went to. You sure you…"

That did it. All the anger that festered inside him ever since that incident burst out in a mighty roar. Jaune was on Toto in the blink of an eye, Eclipse slashing, trusting, hungirly looking to bite into soft flesh. There is nothing else, only him, his sword, and ma…  _monster_  in front of him. The monster that dared to hurt his Sam. And he.. No,  _it_  would pay for this.

Jaune was completely oblivious to his exhaustion, Clay's desperate cries for him to calm down, Toto's chuckles and taunts, or the many cuts he received. All he cared about was plunging his sword into his enemy's heart.

It all came to a stop suddenly. Toto slipped, or was tripped by Clay, Jaune didn't know, nor cared. Seeing his chance, the blond mounted older Hunter, pinning his arms with his knees, and raised his sword for a finishing blow.

Something exploded, sending both him and Clay back again. Toto staggered to his feet, cleary out of breath.

Jaune did the same, Clay's hand on his shoulder only thing stopping him from charging back in.

"WHERE IS HE?! TELL ME, WHERE IS HE!?" He roared.

Toto chuckled.

"My, my. So much anger. I'm afraid that I can't tell you the whereabouts of Master, when you are in such state."

Jaune tried to break free of Clay's grasp, but the man was too strong.

"TELL ME!" He roared again

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but our talk is over." The traitorous Hunter smiled, reversing the grip on his dagger and raising it in front of him. Both Clay and Jaune tensed, ready for another assault.

"My name is Toto." He exclaimed, an excited smile on his lips.

"And I have been CHOSEN!" He bellowed, plunging dagger into his own heart.

Both Jaune and Clay stared dumbfounded, as he collapsed, corruption spreading at an astounding peace from the spot where the dark and green blade entered the body.

Jaune was on him a second after, grabbing his collar and shaking him violently.

"Where is he?! Tell me you asshole, where I can find him? TELL ME!"

Clay grabbed him.

"That's enough. He's dead."

Jaune didn't hear him. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart. This bastard knew where the monster responsible for all of this was, and he wasn't telling. Well, Jaune would make him talk - one way or another.

His fist first hit Toto's face, then his chest, then face again. Clay was trying to stop him, but Jaune was breaking free of his grasp every time. Toto knew, and didn't want to talk. So Jaune would make him talk, by any means necessary. Couldn't Clay's see that it was important? Why was he trying to stop him? Was he on Toto's side too?

Jaune paused, realizing that Clay was no longer trying to hold him. He turned around, to see his friend collapsed.

That snapped him back to reality.

He was next to him in an instant, looking over his body.

_Damn, this is bad._

Clay was covered in had a nasty, deep cut on his stomach and right leg. Judging by how uneven his chest was, and labored breath, he had to have broken ribs.

"Oi, Clay, stay with me." Jaune called, seeing as older man's eyes starting to close. He reached to his belt, hesitated for a moment, and then pulled out a small bottle.

"Here, drink this. It will help." Clay was barely conscious at this point, but did as asked. Aura Enhancer would help him recover - but only if man had any Aura left. And judging by his state - he either didn't have any, or had very little.

"Talk to me. What happened. Don't tell me it was Toto who did this to you."

Clay coughed a few times, then smiled weakly.

"That stuff tasted horrible." He managed to get out, before coughing again.

"Clay. What happened?"

He managed a weak chuckle.

"I might have bluffed a little earlier. When I said we were done with Headhunters, and I was sent to collect you two."

Jaune didn't say anything, instead pulling out a few bandages, and started tending to Clay's wounds. It wasn't enough, but if he could at least stop the bleeding…

"It was going well. We got the jump on them, killed two before they could react. Then the rest of them started roaring, and Ghouls started to come out of the lake. No idea how they got there, but we were pushed back. We retreated to the corridor, but it went in, and collapsed on our heads." The man paused to catch his breath, and Jaune continued tending to his wounds. He bandaged the worst ones, but there were a lot of smaller ones.

_Well, his Aura will deal with it. Now all I need to do is keep him awake._

"What happened then?" He asked, looking him in the eyes.

Clay winced, and tried to push himself up. Jaune threw his arm around his shoulder, and helped the older Hunter stand up.

"Me and Cap managed to get out. And one of Headhunters. We managed to kill it, but it... spit something at Cap, and he started to turn. No idea what happened with rest, but…" He didn't finish, but then didn't really have to. Even if they survived the collapse, they would be trapped in a cave with multiple Ghouls and Headhunters.

Jaune sighed, and started walking towards the cave's exit. When they reached the small room, with several corridors coming out of it, Jaune paused, and laid Clay down.

"Let's take a bit of rest here." He said, pulling out his map. If he was reading it correctly, they were in the central room of this cave system, That meant they were fairly close to the exit - and relative safety.

"Ok, we are close. Just a bit more. You think you can walk?"

Clay chuckled, and got up.

"Yeah. whatever you gave me, it seems to be working. Let's get…" He paused and sighed.

Jaune sighed too.

The sounds of footsteps were quiet, but clear, and coming from the corridor leading to the Headhunters' nest. And there were too many of them. Far too many.

"Well, I guess this is it." Jaune pulled Eclipse. There were no way they could outrun Ghouls in the state they were in.

Clay considered him for a moment, then pushed him towards corridor leading to the exit.

"Go. I'll buy you some time."

"Fuck you. I'm not going anywhere."

The older man sighed.

"Jaune. I can barely stand. Even if we get out of this cave, I won't be able to leave this city. You still have strength, and someone has to report what happened. This is the best choice."

Jaune knew that. He knew full well. But how could he just leave this man to die? It was just.. wrong. Maybe if the stayed together, they could somehow...

"Jaune." Clay place one hand on his shoulder. Looking at him with a small smile.

"I-I got it. You want me to say anything to someone?" He asked, turning towards the exit.

"Nah. I make it a point to take care of my business before going on a job. Plus, I'm single."

Jaune nodded, and ran off.

Clay sighed, and walked into the same corridor, aware of the footsteps getting closer and closer. About two meters in, near a small turn, he paused. This was as good a place as he could get to make his last stand.

He raised his weapon, and smirked.

"Come on fuckers. Let's see how many of you will it take to get past me."

The Harrowed don't make him wait for long.

* * *

_Well, That was anticlimactic. Good thing there is no one around to see this._

It turned out it took only one. The Headhunter was neither especially big, or menacing - it looked just as any other. Clay still managed to hold it off for almost a full minute, before his wounded leg gave out.

At least kid should be out by now.

He sighed and looked up at the beast. It was observing him, tilting its head from one side to other. Why it still hadn't finished him off, he didn't know, but he wasn't complaining.

The more time it wasted with him, the more time it gave Jaune to get away.

The beast suddenly pulled back, and raised on scythe-like arm.

_Well, looks like this is it._

He stared straight in its eyes. Just one last act of defiance before…

… a black sword removed its head.

Clay blinked a few times, starting at the now dead Harrowed. Then looked up, to meet blue, tired eyes.

"I thought we agreed you need to run?" He asked.

Jaune shrugged.

"I changed my mind. The fact that the exit is blocked by some rubble might have something to do with that."

Clay winced.

"Oh. That's unfortunate."

Jaune shrugged, and helped Clay up.

"I left a message on my scroll, and managed to push it to other side. They should send a second investigation party eventually. I hope they find it.

"So… Now we just try to kill as many as we can?"

Jaune smirked.

"Not yet old man. I checked the map, and we might have one more way out. Remember the underground river that fills this lake?"

Clay nodded.

"Apparently it comes to the surface not far from here. And they had boats ready, as a way to evacuate if the town was attacked."

Clay smiled.

"Well, lead the way."

Jaune nodded and headed first. They walked in silence, ears straining for any sound. Complete silence, only interrupted by their breaths and footsteps did nothing to calm them down.

_Well, that's embarrassing. Looks like it will be the kid saving me._

* * *

By the time they reached the right cave they were totally exhausted. As soon as they entered the room, and confirmed that there were no Harrowed in there, they collapsed on the floor.

"So, what's now?" Asked clay when he caught his breath.

"We look for a ladder, or something like that. It should be somewhere…" He didn't get a chance to finish, before a black figure jumped at them. They managed to roll out of the way, and get up.

The Headhunter screeched at them, looking from one to other, apparently undecided which one would be the easier target. It eventually decided to attack Jaune.

Its been blades collided with Eclipse, pushing the blond Hunter back. He stumbled, but Clay intervened before the Harrowed could take advantage of the opening. The older Hunter was too wounded and exhausted to last long, but he managed to draw the beast's attention for just a few seconds.

Enough for Jaune to rejoin the fight. He basically tackled the Headhunter, his sword piercing its surprisingly soft skin. It howled, and hopped around, its scythe-like hands catching Jaune in the chest, throwing him back.

A second later it was pinned to the ground by Clay. The older man used his whole body weight to hold the monster down - but it was more out of exhaustion than intent.

But the Headhunter proved far more tenacious than they expected. It somehow managed to push itself up. Clay, exhausted as he was, did his best to stop it, but eventually was pushed back, and fell.

The Harrowed slumped to its downed opened and raised its hand.

A black sword erupted from its chest, he threw himself at beast. He manage to push it a few steps with the impact alone, but simply didn't have the strength to do anything else, and collapsed.

The Headhunter looked down at the two blades piercing its body. It let out a strange, gurgling noise, staggered, and fell to its knees.

Jaune sighed. They somehow they made it…

A strange, black substance flew out of Headhunter's mouth and hit Clay in the chest. Jaune watched with terror as it  _sank_  into man's skin. The older Hunter didn't make any indication it hurt him, just stared at it with a resigned look at his face.

"Well, that's inconvenient." He said eventually.

"Clay, what…"

"That was the same thing they did to Cap." He answered with a heavy sigh.

Jaune just stared at him blankly. So… that was it? Just like that? No, they'd come too far. Surely there was something he could do to…

"Jaune, I need you to listen to me very carefully. Cap changed after just a minute or two. You don't have much time."

"Much time… for what?" The blond asked dumbly.

Clay shot him a small smile, but it turned into a wince, when black stains started to appear at his chest.

"You know full well."

Jaune just shook his head. Clay sighed, and looked him in the eyes.

"Jaune. I'm done for. If you do nothing I'll turn into one of these monsters, and I'll kill you. I don't want that to happen."

Jaune staggered to his feet, his mind racing. There had to be something he could do. Anything.

"Jaune. I don't want to turn into a monster." Clay crawled to the dead Headhunter, and pulled Eclipse from its body.

"Please. Help me Jaune." He said, handing the sword to the young man.

Jaune closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly let it go. He opened them, and looked into Clay's eyes. There was no fear in them, just acceptance.

"Yeah. Sure." He accepted his sword, and pressed it against Clay's chest.

"See ya kid. I hope not too soon." Clay said with a smile.

"Yeah. See you around, Clay." Jaune pushed, painting the rock red. Clay let out a single sigh, and slumped forward.

"I'm the guide for the Damned, I'm the Ferryman of lost souls…" he began his chant, his prayer.

After he was done, he let out a tired sigh and turned around.

"Thanks for waiting." He said, straight in the eyes of another Headhunter. The beast's head was only about ten centimeters from his face, its eyes observing him with curiosity.

Jaune noted more black shapes filing into the cave.

_I guess we'll see each other rather soon, Clay. Quite embarrassing with that show we put on, eh?_

Jaune waited for a few moments for the creature to do something, but it just watched him.

"So…" He began rolling his shoulders.

"We doing this, or what?"

The Headhunter hissed.

They both moved at the same time.

Jaune ducked under one bone scythe, the second catching him in the left shoulder. Eclipse pierced the Headhunter's neck, spraying him in its blood. Before its body even hit the ground, the next one was on Jaune, and then another and another, and another.

His armor blocked most of the hits to his body, allowing Jaune to focus solely on defending his head. It didn't amount to much - he was soon pushed against the wall, and brought down.

_Should have asked for the helmet to go with this armor._

He thought bitterly. Creatures surrounding him didn't seem in too much of a hurry to kill him. They were just staring, screeching, and poking him from time to time. Not that Jaune was paying much attention to it. He was just too exhausted. All he wanted, was for this to end.

So when he noticed one of them raising its arm, he let out a sigh of relief, and closed his eyes.

The bone arm went down, and his world went black.

* * *

A thirteen-year old Jaune woke up with a gasp. He rubbed his eyes, and checked his scroll. It was six in the morning. His eyes narrowed. He had a feeling that there was something important he was forgetting about…

Ah, yes! Today was his exam for combat prep school. He better start getting ready. It would be embarrassing to be late.

_But man, that was a weird dream I had._

He thought, pulling his shirt on.

* * *

**Well, this is it for this chapter. Not much to talk about. Everything is under control. No need to panic.**

**JJD: SSSSSAAAAAAAMMMMMMM!**


	21. Aftermath

**Welcome to Ch 20 of TPA! JJD like usual works hard to make it readable.**

* * *

Jaune couldn't help but grin. Well, it's not like he tried very hard. All those hours he put into practicing, all those sleepless nights spent studying. It wasn't easy. He couldn't count how many times he wanted to just give up. But how could he? After all the help he got from his family? It would be insulting to give anything less than his best.

And he did it. He achieved his dream. He received a letter of acceptance yesterday evening. So naturally, whole family decided to celebrate it, by going on a picnic. Jaune considered refusing, but quickly changed his mind. He was already accepted, so there was no reason to study anymore, and he really was neglecting his sisters for too long. Spending one day just hanging out with his family wouldn't hurt, especially considering he would be leaving soon. Sure, he would be coming back for holidays and vacations, but still, he will be spending even less time with his family that he was up till now.

He smiled, watching them talking and laughing together. He paused for a moment, just watching as they climbed a small hill.

 _I already miss you._ He thought, smiling wistfully. He looked at his parents, his sisters, burning their happy faces into his memory. They stopped atop the hill,and waved for him to join them.

Jaune sighed. It was so peaceful, so nice.

So wrong.

He looked up to his family again. They were watching him with curious expressions, wondering why he stopped.

"I'm sorry." He said aloud, not sure if it even mattered anymore. He could feel the temperature drop, even though the sun was still high in sky. He turned around, just to see the path they walked just few moments ago gone, covered in black nothingness.

"Jaune." He heard his father call out. He looked up at the older man. His father, his role model. His Hero.

The older man just smiled and nodded once. Jaune smiled back, and let out a stuttering breath.

"Sorry, guys. I gotta go." They all nodded, sending him reassuring nods.

Jaune turned towards his family, basking in warm sunlight.

And then he took a step back.

Darkness swallowed him instantly.

* * *

_My name is Jaune Arc, age 17, son of Arthur and Victoria Arc. I'm a first year student at Beacon Academy, member and leader of team JNPR. My partner is Pyrrha Nikos, my other teammates are Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. I've been an official WITCHER for six months. I'm recording this message on Sunday, one twenty-four am. I'm part of one of three teams sent to investigate a distress signal from the city of Spring Valley. We set off on Friday, around five pm. We reached our destination around six pm. Upon landing, we encountered an unusually high concentration of Ghouls - far above what was expected._

_We had to spend the night in an abandoned house. The next day we managed to reach the mayor's mansion. We found no survivors, only the bodies of two hunters from the other teams. After a short investigation, we discovered that some kind of biological weapon was used to poison the town's water supply. On top of that, we spotted a new type of Harrowed, that we nicknamed "Headhunter'. This creatures are extremely intelligent, and presumably have some form of stealth ability._

_We attempted to purge the underground lakes that serve as the town's water supply, and destroy the Headhunters' nest, but we failed. As of the recording of this message all Hunters send to this city, expect of myself and Clay, are dead - fourteen confirmed, the rest presumed. The two of us will attempt to escape using the underground river. If you are a member of the second investigation party - you have to hurry. Whatever was used causes the victims to die, and turn into Ghouls if the victim falls asleep with no Aura. After around thirty hours of exposure, we started hallucinating. I'm leaving all the intel I can on this scroll, in the canteen next to it is a purging agent I developed._

The message ended, leaving the motionless face of a young man with blond hair and blue, bloodshot eyes. He was obviously exhausted, dirty, and there were a few bruises on his face. His voice was quiet, his breath heavy.

The hand holding the scroll squeezed it a bit harder.

"Don't worry Peter. This message wasn't recorded too long ago. We will find him."

The old Witcher chuckled.

"I know. I just hope he left a few of these "Headhunters' for me. It would be a shame to come all the way here, and not find any prey worth hunting."

Doctor Oobleck smiled. His friend tried his best to appear nonchalant, but he could see how nervous the old Witcher was. Well, Oobleck couldn't blame him. This whole situation was a mess, and one of their students was in the middle of it.

"We are through!" The voice sounded. Both of them were at the now cleared, entrance to caves in an instant.

Peter rolled his head, a vicious grin on his face.

"Alright boys, lets get this over with. Remember - our priority is rescuing any survivors. Eliminate any hostiles you come across, but let's not take too long. You all heard the message from young Jaune. Move!"

And as if to set an example, he quickly dashed into darkness of the caves below.

Forty Hunters followed close behind.

* * *

It was dark. So dark that he couldn't see anything… or was it? Jaune wasn't really sure. It was more like there simply wasn't anything there.

Where this 'there' was, he had no idea.

_Pretty bland for a hallucination. Shouldn't something have happened by now?_

He sighed. He wasn't sure how it worked, since he was pretty sure this was just his imagination. Jaune looked around yet again, still seeing nothing. This 'waiting room' was something he ended up in a few times already. Usually, he spent only few seconds here, before the next vision started. Most of them were pleasant ones, where he achieved something great, was living happy life and so on.

It usually took him a bit o realize that they weren't reality. It was all pretty messed up.

But hey, he wasn't going to argue with hallucination logic. Because this had to be hallucination. The only other alternative would be that he…

_Well, If I'm dead, and this is afterlife it seems terribly… empty._

He looked around, but saw nothing but neverending blackness.

"Why do you keep coming back?"

He turned to the source of voice and smiled. He had a vague feeling he should be surprised, or maybe startled, but he felt nothing like that.

"Hi Sam." He greeted. The young girl huffed and crossed her arms. She was wearing her favorite white dress and straw hat. Her green eyes narrowed, promising disaster if he didn't gave her a satisfying answer right this instant.

Jaune just shrugged, and ran hand through his hair.

"It just felt… wrong to stay there."

"You were happy."

He chuckled.

"Yeah. But it was false." Another shrug and another chuckle "Beside, I feel like I still have things to do out there. And" He smirked at girl in front of him. "You wouldn't let me live it down if I just gave up like that."

She blushed a little and mumbled something, turning her head to the side.

"That being said…" he trailed off, drawing her attention back to him.

"Am I dead?" He asked with a nervous chuckle, his hand running through his hair.

She just shrugged.

"No idea. Maybe. I know only as much as you do. I'm just product of your imagination afterall."

Jaune sighed. So he was presumably dead, and talking with himself. WIth the other him being little girl.

Just great.

"But why you? Why I'm imagining you?" He added when ghost….vision...whatever Sam was now, looked at him quizzically.

She taped her lips a few times with her index finger, lost in thought. Which probably meant he was lost in thought.

_I… I better stop thinking too hard about it._

"Probably because we are very close, and you've been thinking about me a lot lately. As you should." She said with a haughty voice.

He tilted his head to the side.

"Wait, shouldn't it be someone from my family then? I pretty sure that…" he trailed off under the suddenly arctic glare of green eyes.

"Jaune Arc," she exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips, and somehow managing to look down on him, despite how much taller he was. "Are you implying I'm not good enough to appear in your thoughts in presumably the last moments of your life?"

Jaune laughed. It was such a.. Sam thing to do that he couldn't help himself.

"Of course you are." He said, rubbing her head. He briefly wondered what happened to her hat, but considering that they were now standing on sunny plain, instead of the black nothingness, he decided to think about it too hard.

"So, what now?" He asked, looking around.

"I guess you have to make your final decision. You either go there." She said, pointing at the entrance to a dark, damp, and very unappealing cave, that definitely wasn't there when Jaune looked just a second ago. "Or there." Her finger pointed at small path leading towards barely visible buildings on the horizon.

Jaune sighed, and turned towards the cave.

"You sure? It looks painful. And hard."

Jaune chuckled.

"I know. That's life for you. But I can't just give up like that. I have to push on, I have to survive. For my friends, my family. " He looked her over, a small smile on his lips. "For you. The real you."

She tilted her head to the side.

"How do you know that there still is a 'real' me? You have a memory of us living together after the incident, but how can you be sure it's real?"

He shrugged.

"I don't. And I can't, but it's all the more reason to go back." Another shrug, and a quiet chuckle. "Besides, I don't care what that bastard Toto said, I'm sure you're fine."

She hummed, then smirked.

"How do you know I'm not just a product of your imagination? That your subconsciousness created me out of your desire to have a strong, intelligent, beautiful woman keeping you in check?"

He laughed.

"No way. My imagination is nowhere near as good to create someone like you." He shook his head and approached the cave's entrance. He could feel an unnatural cold coming from it. His legs trembled in sudden exhaustion. He sighed.

_This is going to suck SO hard._

Then he walked into the cave.

* * *

Jaune's eyes snapped open, in time to see a bone hook coming down on his face. He managed to swat it aside with his forearm. He grabbed the overextended limb and pulled.

The Headhunter lost its balance and fell on him, Jaune wrapping his arms around its neck, using the creature as shield. They struggled for a few moments, Jaune tried to push himself up using the wall of cave as support, and break the monster's neck at the same time.

Unfortunately, between his exhaustion, and the Headhunter's surprising strength, the creature managed to free itself from his grip. Jaune sighed, slumping to the ground. This was hopeless, he didn't even have the strength to stand. Even if he somehow managed to kill that one, there were five more standing around him, and more filling into the cave.

_Well, at least I tried._

He thought, watching as the Headhunter raised both of its arms, and howled loudly. Then it stopped and looked down, towards its chest. Jaune looked too, not sure if what he was seeing was real, or just another hallucination. But considering the Harrowed was looking at it too, it had to be real, right?

A human fist retracted with a wet noise, leaving a perfectly round hole in the creature's chest, it stumbled, and fell apart, cut cleanly in half from the top of its head to the bottom.

Jaune stared at the vaguely humanoid shape behind it. His vision swam, and he had to give it his all just to stay awake. What was this creature? Some new type of Harrowed? Why had it killed the Headhunter? Why weren't the other monsters weren't doing anything?

He looked around, noticing all of them were dead. Something touched his arm, and he could hear some strange sound. It took him a moment to realize that someone was calling a name.

His name.

Fighting to remain conscious, he looked up to meet worried, brown eyes.

"...ne? Jaune can you hear me?"

He nodded weakly.

Doctor Oobleck let out a sigh of relief.

"It's alright young man. You will be fine. We will get you out of here." A new voice sounded. He turned to its source, and saw a lot of red, and round, concerned face with splendid mustache.

"Peter?" He managed to choke out.

"Yes Jaune, my boy, it's me. Just hold on for a little longer."

"Others…" he groaned. He fought desperately to stay awake, but knew he wouldn't last much longer.

"Don't worry about it. Medic, where the hell you are?! Take him out of there. Any news from the other teams?"

There were some shouts, then some people walked over to him, checking his wounds and giving him injections. Jaune sighed and relaxed.

It was finally over. He could rest.

* * *

 _It's still unknown what exactly happened at Spring Valley. Our sources at Vale's Disaster Prevention Center informs us that according to reports from the first investigation team, sent there last Friday, some kind of biological, or chemical weapon was used. The same source assures us, that thanks to swift intervention, there is no danger of the pollution spreading, but the_   _whole area will be locked down for safety reasons. Further investigation will commence shortly, as soon as the surviving member of the initial investigation group recovers enough to provide their testimony. We have no official statement from Beacon or the Vale Police Department, though an anonymous source informed us that considering that significant portion of affected populace were Fanus, it is highly unlikely it was an attack by the White Fang. Headmaster Ozpin, and the director of the VDPC assured us that they will spare no efforts or resources to ensure that similar tragedy will never happen again. Hoever…"_

Ozpin sighed, and turned the TV off. It was hard to keep this contained, and rumors were already starting to run wild. The worst thing was - not a single one of them were coming even close to how messed up the reality was.

He sighed again, taking a sip from his mug. The coffee was instant, and cold at that. It tasted horrible, but it had caffeine, and that would help him stay awake. There was much work to do.

He sat in his chair and looked over the small room he was in. It was not his office at Beacon - but rather a temporary one at the VDPC headquarters. And one that he will be spending far more time that he would have liked for the foreseeable future.

The sound of knocking, followed soon by the opening door and the clicking of heels on the floor broke him out of his thoughts.

He sighed, exhausted.

"Oh, don't be such a baby. Just sign them, and we will be done for now."

Ozpin chuckled. Only one person would walk into his office like that, and talk to him like that.

"Please forgive me Glynda. I think my age is catching up to me."

His assistant snorted.

"Sure. Like I said, it's just a few forms to sign this time. Nothing too important, but it has to be done. You need to get it done though, or we might have bigger problems if you don't."

Ozpin blinked a few times, and then groaned.

"They are waiting outside, aren't they?"

"Have been for the past three hours, and they look about ready to burst in here, weapons drawn."

Ozpin massaged his forehead, and let out a tired sigh. Dealing with team RWBY and NPR was a conversation he wasn't sure he was ready for.

"Oh, one more thing. Arthur Arc called. He said he will be in Vale in about an hour, and that he would like to have a chat with you."

Ozpin groaned again, this time much louder. That was a conversation he definitely wasn't ready for.

"Alright. Let me sign those, and I will talk with them. Better to deal with that before Arthur storms in."

* * *

Ozpin was surrounded the moment he stepped out of his office. One look at faces of his students told him that unless he was willing to use force, he had to give them answers they wanted.

Ozpin sighed, and considered for a moment what to say. Then decided he was too tired to care.

"First of all, I want you to know that I shouldn't be telling you most of the things I will. So please, keep it a secret."

He received seven nods of confirmation.

"Good, Walk with me." He went down the corridor, seven teens in tow.

"Mr. Arc is fine. He was recovered approximately two hours ago, and is currently in the hospital. He is exhausted, and wounded, but it's nothing life-threatening."

Judging by how their eyes narrowed, none of them were satisfied by this answer.

"Then why are we not allowed to see him? The whole wing he is resting in is blocked, and no one is allowed to enter without permission."

Ozpin rubbed his forehead, considering for a moment how much should he say. Then again decided he was too tired for this.

"As you might have heard, we suspect some kind of biological weapon was used. The message left by Mr. Arc seems to confirm this. And considering what happened in the city, there is little reason to doubt this theory."

They stared at him for few moments in complete silence. Just as he hoped, they would accept the answer and go away, Pyrrha Nikos broke the silence.

"And what exactly happened there? And why was Jaune involved in this?"

Ozpin sighed. There were no way they would take what he will said next well.

"People died, Miss Nikos. A great deal of people."

They looked at each other, confused.

"Yeah, we kinda figured. You wouldn't send so many Hunters to investigate if there weren't any casualties. But why is there is no refugee camp anywhere? What did you do with survivors?" Asked Yang.

Ozpin looked at them for a few moments in silence, considering yet again if he should really tell them.

_Well, they will learn sooner or later. No way we can cover this up._

"We didn't set up a refugee camp, because there were no need for one, miss Xiao Long."

"What do you.."

"There is no need for one because there are no refugees. Everyone from that city died. There were no survivors among the civilians, and from Hunters sent to investigate, most died too."

No one spoke for a few moments, seven young people absorbing what they had just heard.

"Everyone…? But… how?" Ruby asked, her voice filled with horror and disbelief. Her sister placed one hand on her shoulder, her expression filled with the same emotions.

"Like I said, we believe that some kind of biological weapon was used. According to the information Mr. Arc recorded on his scroll, the city water supply was poisoned. Unfortunately, we won't be able to learn more until him, and other members of his team regain consciousness."

"Why did you send him there?" Asked Pyrrha suddenly. The normally polite girl was staring at him with clear hostility.

Ozpin sighed.

"To be honest - I had little choice in the matter. Mr. Arc would have gotten involved whether or not I would allow him to go. So instead of risking him running off on his own, I decided to put him on a team of experienced Hunters, that could keep him safe."

Yang shook her head.

"But why would he go? What was so important to him in that city?"

"Before I answer that, I want to clarify one thing. You are aware that Mr. Arc assisted the local police in investigating a series of murders we had last week?" Ozpin waited for them to confirm, then continued.

"I don't know how much Mr. Arc told you, but to keep it brief - this is a very personal matter form him. The person who we believe was responsible for those murders… well suffice to say that someone close to Mr. Arc was attacked by him. We believe that what happened in the city might have been his doing too. He was sighed there shortly before we lost contact with the city."

"But.. why can't we see him?" Ruby whined.

"For one, he is asleep, and he needs his rest." He looked them over. "And by the looks of it, you could use some too."

They still looked uncertain, so he smiled at them and nodded.

"Go, get a few hours of sleep. Tomorrow morning, when all of you are rested, and after Mr. Arc has his check ups, you will be able to see him."

Reluctantly, they backed off. Ozpin sighed. It was nice to see them care about their friend so much, he just wished it wasn't at times he had to take care of one catastrophe that already happened, and try to prevent another, even larger one.

A little voice in his head pointed out that this was exactly what he was doing for the past few hundred years. Ozpin shook his head, and turned back to his office. At least he was done for…

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"Hey there Ozzy. I heard you got my son hurt?"

Ozpin turned slowly. Arthur Arc was standing right behind him, a small smile on his lips, and ice-cold eyes boring into his. The old wizard briefly wondered if it was too late to cause some kind of small distraction, like sabotaging Vale's defences, and letting Grimm into the city, for example. But he quickly discarded the idea. The man in front of him would probably just ignore it, and focus solely on real problem - his son being in the hospital.

"Well, hell…" he began, but stopped when the hand on his shoulder squeezed a bit harder. He could feel his Aura activating.

"Details. Now."

Ozpin sighed, and motioned towards the door of his office.

"Let's talk inside."

_I hate my life._

* * *

Pyrrha took a deep breath, and slowly opened the doors. The doctors warned her Jaune was probably still unconscious, and even if he was awake, he might not recognize her because of the hallucinations. Still, she insisted she be allowed to see him.

Well, all of them insisted, but the doctors refused to let seven people into his room. It lead to a bit of argument - they'd all come a long way from Beacon to Vale Central Hospital, where Jaune was being held. Thankfully, they had no lessons, they had all been suspended on account of the whole city being in an uproar after recent attack, and most of Beacon's staff being busy trying to contain the mess.

Eventually, it was decided that Pyrrha, as Jaune's partner, would be the one to check up on him. She walked into the small room, with two beds. Only one of them was occupied, and she walked up to her partner.

He was pale, but peaceful. There weren't any medical apertures in the room, and from what doctors said, his condition was good - all he needed was rest. With a sad smile, she pulled herself up a chair, and sat next to him, just watching his face for a few moments.

"Why do you keep doing this?" She asked finally, brushing a few strands of hair off his face.

"Why you keep running off on your own? Why don't you tell us anything? Don't you trust us enough to watch your back?" She sighed. "We are supposed to be a team. Why do you insist on doing things on your own?"

"Because that's the only way he knows." A masculine voice sounded from behind her.

Pyrrha whipped around, to look straight into blue eyes, so similar to Jaune's. The man standing in the doors was tall and well built. His long blond hair was tied up in ponytail. Even though he didn't have any weapon, or armor, Pyrrha had no doubt he was a Hunter. There was something about him, some kind of presence, that made her feel like a little animal locked in a cage together with alpha predator. She swallowed and moved to the side as the man walked to Jaune bed, just watching him.

"It's not that he doesn't trust you guys, or think you are too weak. He simply is the kind of guy who will travel to the end of the world and back just to help a friend. But if it's him who needs help - he will never ask, because he thinks he needs to take care of his problems on his own. That he shouldn't bother others with them." Blue eyes locked on her again, contemplating, judging her.

Pyrrha sat still, not sure what to say, or do. Or if she should do or say anything at all.

"I'm not sure he realizes t=it himself." He shook his head slowly, and chuckled.

"Name's Arthur Arc by the way. Jaune's father." He said extending his hand. Pyrrha just nodded, and took the offered hand. She'd already figured it out herself - the man in front of her was very similar to Jaune. His grip was firm, but Pyrrha was surprised by how smooth his hand felt. She couldn't feel any of the calluses the every person who made their living by fighting should have.

_Maybe he has a Semblance similar to Miss Goodwitch? One that allows him to fight without using a weapon?_

A small smirk that appeared on the older man's lips told her he knew exactly what she was thinking about. Pyrrha blushed, and let go of his hand. Then realized she didn't introduce herself yet.

"Oh, nice to meet you sir. I'm…"

"Pyrrha Nikos. My idiot son's partner. Nice to finally meet you in person."

Pyrrha's month clicked shut. She laughed nervously, not really sure what to do next.

"Y-you know who I am?" She stammered finally.

"Sure I do." He said, sitting on the edge of Jaune's bed.

"He talked about you all, you know. A lot. He was really happy that he got into Beacon. Called us, and was gushing for about an hour how amazing a team he has." Arthur smiled fondly, looking at his son's face. "This has always been his dream, you know? To go to Beacon. To have a team, and become a Hunter." He looked back at her ,and smirked.

"And besides, there is hardly anyone who doesn't know who Pyrrha Nikos is. You made quite the name for yourself, young lady."

Pyrrha blushed and looked to the side.

"T-thank you sir. Jaune didn't know though." The second part was added quietly, but Arthur heard anyway. He blinked, surprised, then chuckled.

"Yeah, leave it to my son to not know a world-wide celebrity. Well, to be fair, I recognized you only because some of my daughters are big fans of yours."

Pyrrha chuckled, and looked back to Jaune. He looked so peaceful. The bag under his eyes almost gone, expression calm, and a small smile on his lips. She squeezed his hand, and got up.

"It was nice meeting you sir but I think I'll take my leave. Jaune needs his rest after all." She bowed her head a little, and made to leave. She was stopped by a vice-like grip on her hand. She turned around, surprised and looked straight into Jaune's wide opened eyes.

"S-Sam…?" He choked out. His voice was thick with emotions. Worry, relief, uncertainty. Pyrrha opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when Jaune laughed.

"You are ok. I knew it, I knew it. You are alright." He looked at her, his expression changing form relieved to desperate.

"Don't go Sam. It's dangerous. He is still out there, so don't go Sam. I'll protect you this time, I swear. I won't let him…" he slowly trialed of, his voice getting quieter, and quieter until he slipped down into his bed, his hand slipping off her's.

Pyrrha watched him for a few moments, unsure what to do. Who was Sam? And who was this man Jaune was so afraid off? She recalled headmaster Ozpin saying that he had some history with the person suspected of all those murders. Was this him?

She looked at Arthur, his face set in stone, hands clenched in fists. She opened her mouth to ask at least some of the questions that swarmed her head now, but the older man raised one hand stopping her.

"I'm sure you have questions now, but it's not me you should be asking them to. I won't spill my son's secrets to anyone." He looked her in the eyes. "Ask him when he wakes up. I'm sure he will tell you."

Pyrrha just nodded and turned around. She paused at the doors, sparing one last glance towards her partner. He was asleep again, his father sitting in the chair he occupied just a few moments ago.

_Wake up quickly Jaune. We miss you._

* * *

Pyrrha couldn't stop a small smile from coming to her lips. It wasn't because it was Monday, and they didn't have any lessons. It would be hard to organize any, seeing as most of Beacon staff was busy with… something. She wasn't sure, because no one shared any of that info, but then she didn't really cared either.

What she did care about, was her partner. That, if message she received not even hour ago, was to be believed, woke up in a fairly good state, and was undergoing his last checkups, before hopefully being released from the hospital.

"You sure he will be up?" Asked Yang.

Pyrrha smiled at her and nodded.

"Yes. I received a message earlier that he woke up. They said he appears fine and only need to run a few check ups to make sure."

"Oh, he better be fine. Because he has some explaining to do. And there is no way we are letting him run away this time." Yang snorted.

"Yeah. if he tries, we will break his legs!" Nora sing-stoned, high fiving Yang.

"I would appreciate if you didn't try to put my son in the hospital again, before he's even signed out from this one." A new voice sounded from behind. They all turned to see Headmaster Ozpin with his signature mug, and very tired expression. He was accompanied by two people - a tall man with blond hair, dressed in black trousers, a white jacket, and a red shirt underneath. He was saying something to the Headmaster, the other man nodding from time to time.

The one who spoke was a young woman. She looked at them with a small smile, green eyes shining with mirith. She wore simple, green dress that matched her eyes.

"Well, it was just a proposition." Nora trailed off.

The woman walked up to them, looking each in the eyes.

"So you're Jaune's friends. It's nice to meet you in person."

"Likewise" Said Weiss nodding to her." Miss…?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Victoria Arc. I'm Jaune's mom."

Six shocked gasp sounded. All the girls stared at the forty-something woman that looked to be in her mid twenties.

"How?" Yang finally asked the question that was on every girl's mind.

Victoria just laughed.

"Oh, it's a family secret. Anyway, I presume you are here to visit my son?" She waited for them to confirm, before speaking again.

"That's wonderful. Would you mind walking with us? I would love to talk with you all."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded. She would love to have some time to chat with Jaune's parents too. And it looked like she finally would be able to get some answers from her unruly partner. Things were looking good.

"Um.." they all turned to look at Blake. She was standing still, staring to the side with narrowed eyes. "Isn't that...Jaune?" All eyes snapped to the direction she was looking, to see a very familiar blond leaving the hospital with some man dressed in a black suit. They both got into a black car, and it drove off soon after.

Pyrrha could feel her eyebrow starting to twitch. Slowly, her smile morphed into something much more… predatory.

 _Oh no, you don't._ Was her only though when she dashed after her runaway partner. She would get her answers today. And nothing would stop her.

The rest of her team, and RWBY followed soon after.

Victoria Arc watched after running teenagers with conflicted expression. She looked back and up at her husband, whose hand just landed on her shoulder.

"He will be fine. He is thought kid."

She knew this, of course. But it didn't stopped her from worrying

_What did you get yourself in this time Jaune?_

* * *

Jaune sighed. The Company representative was waiting for him outside while he was finishing his check ups, and approached him as soon as he left. Normally, Jaune wouldn't take a new contract as soon after previous one, especially considering that he wasn't even properly signed off hospital after his last job.

But then the man dressed in black explained that they found solid leads on the mysterious 'Master' Toto mentioned. They were getting close, but with the mess caused in the 'town of the Damned' as the media dubbed it, there was a shortage of Witchers in Vale.

_And of course the bastard started making new Harrowed as soon as he got into the city._

Thankfully it wasn't anything big-scale, but there were a few stray Ghouls still roaming some of the less populated areas.

He sighed again, and checked the info on his scroll again. The Company was nice enough to provide transportation to and from his 'job zone'. Jaune looked around, the area was deserted. It was basically slums, with the only people in the vicinity being him, and the Company agent accompanying him. He was assured that the area was secure, and he didn't have to worry about any civilians wandering around.

Jaune took a deep breath, and walked out of the car. His target was last seen in the run-down building in front of him. Judging by the sign on the front, it was a bakery of sorts, long since abandoned. Jaune readied Eclipse, and slowly approached. He was mostly rested now, and Aura took care of most of the damage he had taken. His head still hurt a bit, but it wasn't anything serious.

But he still wasn't in top shape, so it was best to be cautious.

 _Good thing it's just a Ghoul. I shouldn't need any Elixirs for this one._ Of course he still brought a few with him. Better safe than sorry.

He walked through the broken door and looked around. The room was big, dusty,and completely empty. He notice two doors on the opposite wall, and broken stairs leading to the second floor. One of the doors lead to small, dirty room with some broken furniture. The other, opened to slightly bigger, empty room with a sizable hole in one of the walls. Jaune peeked outside, noticing a few footprints in the dirt.

Smiling to himself, he followed them. After nearly twenty minutes of wandering through the empty, dark, and gloomy alley, he finally found his mark, rummaging through some garbage.

It turned out to him as soon as he stepped in the alley. It started walking from one side of alley to other, letting out low growling, cleary trying to intimidate him. Jaune smirked, and walked towards it confidently.

When he was about ten meters away from it, the Ghoul lunged. Not wanting to risk any precise maneuvers, he simply ducked under the charge, instead of trying to impale the beast through the chest.

The Ghoul landed heavily, rolled and got up. Jaune was already upon it, Eclipse coming down in a powerful, overhead blow. The beast jumped to the side, successfully avoiding decapitation, but still earning a deep wound on its arm.

It tried to lunge again, but Jaune easily side-stepped it, and took one of its legs with an rising cut. The Ghoul fell, and before it could rise again, Eclipse pinned it to the ground.

Jaune let out a breath of relief when the body turned into a human corpse after just a few seconds.

 _How nice it is to have job without complications._  He thought to himself, getting up and rolling his shoulders.

_Better go back fast. Gang is sure to come, and they will freak out if they find I'm gone._

He turned in the direction he came form, and froze.

"Um.. Hi?" He said lamely, waving one hand.

Seven people were standing at the opposite end of the alley looking at dead body next to him, his blood-soaked sword, then him.

Jaune sighed.

"Ok guys, I know how this looks like, but how about you let me explain before you jump to conclusions?" He asked.

"Explain? Oh, you want to explain yourself." He gulped when his partner stormed toward him, anger evident on her face.

"Do you have any idea what we've gone through?" Her fists struk his chest. "First you go on this secret mission with the police. You told us nothing, left us wondering what the hell is happening with you. You barely talked with us for this week!" Another hit in the chest, stronger this time, caused him to wince.

"I was happy when you told us everything, and that you were done with it. I thought we would start acting like a team again.." she trailed off, her head hung low. Then she suddenly looked up, her fist striking him much harder. Jaune made to protest but words left him when he saw tears in her eyes.

"And then you suddenly ran off, went on some secret mission. No one would tell us anything, all we could do was sit there and wait. We were worried! And then they brought you in, unconscious, and we learn that almost everyone in that city died! Do you have any idea how worried we were?!"

Jaune opened his mouth to answer, but she didn't give him a chance.

"We left Beacon as soon as we learned you were awake. We were so relieved that you were ok! But then you just ran off again, and now this!" She gestured to corpse next to him.

She paused, taking a few shuddering breaths.

"So yes Jaune, I would love some explanation. And please, let it be something good. Because otherwise I…" she paused, shaking her head slowly. Then she looked straight into his eyes. "Please, Jaune." She begged.

The blond Witcher closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Allright. But not here. Let's move to somewhere more comfortable, ok?"

She nodded, and they all followed him.

 _Damn._ he thought, heading back to where the Company car was waiting for him.  _I really messed up this time, didnt I?_

* * *

**Next chapter long awaited talk will happen. The rest of cast will finally learn about Jaune's not-so-secret occupation, and what is his connection to Master.**

**Well this is it for now.**

**JJD: Fun Fact: That Sam scene was actually the first thing I think we ended up writing for this story.**

**Cr00cy: Yep. If memory serves right, I wasn't even done with ch 1 when JJD wrote it.**

* * *

"Hold on kiddo. Just hold on for a little bit longer." Leon said. He had been repeating this for the past hour or so. Or maybe it was just a few minutes? Jaune wasn't sure. His vision was blurry, he could barely hear anything besides the pounding of his heart, and he couldn't focus on anything.

Besides the fact that he was bleeding out, that is.

They reached the village Leon mentioned. Only to find it ruined, and populated only by Grimm. There were only a few Beowolves, not even Alphas, so Jaune just hung back while Leon dealt with them. He was torn about this decision. On one hand - he felt like a coward, just standing there and letting Leon do all the work. On the other hand - he knew that with no Aura, and little training, he would be only be a hindrance in a fight.

He watched for a few moments as Leon dispatched Grimm after Grimm, then with a sigh he backed off and leaned on the wall of some ruined building. He knew it was silly to expect he would be able to fight side by side with Leon so soon. He had still a lot of learning to do. If he recalled correctly, in combat prep schools, students were facing the first Grimm somewhere in the middle of their third year. So he still had around three years of learning before he should start worrying about this. He knew that - but it did little to help his wounded pride.

Lost in thought like that, he stopped paying attention to his surroundings - a mistake that soon came back to bite him.

Literally.

When he noticed the shadow looming over him, he turned around to look at what cast it. In hindsight, it was a bad idea - if something big approached you in a Grimm infested village, one could easily guess what that thing was. So Jaune, after looking in the eyes of the biggest Ursa he'd ever seen - at least form so close - let out a startled yelp and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the beast's maw.

Hours of training with Leon kicked in, and he jumped to his feet, reading his word and shield. Then yelped again, and rolled again, avoiding a massive paw coming down at him.

"Ursa!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping Leon would hear him. They went over what he should do in case he encountered a Grimm when his teacher was busy with something else multiple times, and it all come down to two things: yell at the top of your lungs what Grimm was attacking you, and try to survive long enough for help to arrive.

 _Step one done, time to focus on step two._ He thought, ducking under another swipe. After the initial panic lessened, he realized he had a much better chance of making it out alive than he first thought. The beast was big, strong, and tough. If he needed to kill it, he would be done for.

But he didn't. The only thing he had to do was survive long enough for Leon to come.

The Ursa had many advantages over him - except for speed. Its attacks were nowhere near as fast as Leon's, so Jaune could avoid them, as long as he remained focused. He didn't even considered blocking them, knowing full well it wouldn't do him any good.

So all he needed to do was to keep dodging, and wait. Leon would come, and kill this thing, and he would be safe. He just had to not do anything stupid, and let his teacher save him.

Jaune snarled, and after dodging another swipe, lashed out with his sword. It was a clumsy attack, lacking speed, strength, and down at poor angle, so all it did was scratch the beast's thick hide a little.

But it was enough.

 _I can hurt it!_ The blond grinned to himself. And then doged with startled yelp when the angered Grimm almost took his head off with a furious swipe.

 _Ok, note to self - it doesn't like being hurt._ The blond boy winced and dodged another stroke. A loud roar from bear-like Grimm caused him to wince again.

_This thing is too loud. I should be able to avoid it long enough for Leon to come, but if all this commotion attracts more Grimm..._

His eyes narrowed. He knew he couldn't simply run away. Ursas, similar to normal bears, weren't the most agile of creatures, but they could run very fast. Jaune could keep dodging its attacks, but with all the noise they were making, sooner or later some other Grimm would notice them. And Jaune didn't fancy his chances in two against one - especially if something faster and more agile than an Ursa showed up. And there was always the issue of stamina. Jaune would tire out. The Ursa will not.

That left only one option. A crazy one, potentially lethal, but in this situation…

The blond boy jumped back a few steps after dodging another attack and took a deep breath to steady himself.

_Ok Jaune keep calm. Just like Leon taught you. Look at it, notice how it's built, and any potential weak spots._

The Ursa was big, and had multiple bone plates on its back, but none on the front.

_Ok, so it has no armor on the belly, but its skin is still tough. My best bet to damage it are its joints and eyes._

He ducked under its paw, lashing out with his sword again, and this time scoring a nice cut. The Ursa roared, and tried to bite his head off, but Jaune had already retreated.

_Observe how it moves, learn its habits, and attack patterns. Understand how it reacts to your actions._

The Blond charged in, but at the last second jumped to the side, avoiding the Grimm's jaw, and causing it to clumsy turn after him. He jumped, waited for the Grimm to charge, and the dashed forward again, this time lunging to the other side. This dance continued for a few moments,Jaune taking note of how the Ursa moved. Eventually he jumped back a few steps, breathing heavily.

It was terrifying. He could die at any moment, but the fear he felt at the beginning was now muted, replaced by excitement. Jaune knew full well the Ursa could kill him in just one hit, but at the same time the beast was slow and clumsy. Its attacks were telegraphed, and easy to dodge, not to mention it wasn't smart enough to try to change its rhythm.

Strong, but slow and predictable. Jaune smiled.

_I can do this!_

His smile fell when he heard the heavy footsteps and snorting of another Ursa.

_Correction: I have to do this._

Mumbling a few words he would never allow his mother hear him saying, he dashed in. He ducked under its first swipe, rolled out of the way of another, and before the clumsy beast could turn towards him, he grabbed his sword in both hands and cut at the back of its left knee. The wounded Grimm roared and lashed out with one paw, but Jaune was no longer there. He retreated a few steps, waited for the Grimm to face him, and then dashed in again.

Duck, roll, strike. Another roar from the wounded beast, and another retreat. It took three more attempts for Jaune to finally cut deep enough to cripple its leg, The Ursa attacking the same way every time, only proving its stupidity.

 _It has to be young, and inexperienced…_ Jaune thought bitterly. He wished that the first Grimm he faced on his own was something more formidable. But then again if it was, he probably would be dead by now.

Footsteps and loud sniffs coming from behind a nearby building reminded him he had no time to waste. Jaune took a few deep breaths, jumped back a few steps and started circling the beast to the right. It roared, and started running at him. Jaune dashed forward, and at the last second rolled to the left. He knew he didn't have enough strength to kill an Ursa, its skin being too thick. But if he could add the beast own strength, or weight? Well that might just work.

As expected, the Grimm tried to turn, and squash the annoying human, but its wounded leg couldn't support its weight, and it stumbled and fell - right at Jaune's waiting sword.

The blond boy grinned when the ancestral blade buried itself into the Ursa's chest. Though it died an ugly death when he realized two things.

One - he hadn't accounted for what would happen when said Ursa fell on him.

Second - he didn't have a plan for what to do when his attack failed to kill the beast on the spot.

Fortunately, the Ursa didn't fall on him, crushing the would-be Hunter under its weight. Unfortunately, it was because it stopped its fall, looked at the sword buried up the hilt into its body, and rose, letting out a furious roar.

All Jaune could do was to raise his shield, before a massive arm come down at him.

The blond boy let out a pained scream when the bones in his hand shattered. He flew, actually  _flew_  and hit something wooden, judging by the sound. Though at that moment he wasn't bothered by it - he was too busy screaming in pain. It wasn't just his hand, which he cradled desperately, but his whole body.

Eventually he gritted his teeth, and managed to look up - straight in the eyes of another Ursa. It was much bigger than the previous one, had more bone plating, and multiple spikes coming out of its back.

_Fuck._

Though Jaune, watching as a massive arm rose, then fell.

And then the Ursa died. His arm simply disappeared, followed shortly by beast's head. Jaune blinked a few times, unsure what exactly happened, but then another face appeared in his vision - this one thankfully both friendly and familiar.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry Jaune. There were more of them than I thought, and they swarmed me. I tried to get here earlier, but… oh, shit." He started to babble.

Jaune chuckled, but it turned into a fit of coughing. He wanted to say he was ok, that this was just a scratch - that's what tough guys said when they got wounded, right?

But only thing that got out of his mouth was a pained whimper.

"Easy there buddy. Just lay down, you will be fine."

Jaune tried to say something, but another fit of coughing stopped him. Something red came out of his mouth, and he realized it was blood. He looked down at his body, and noticed a few things, very worrying things.

His clothes were in shreds, and covered in something wet, slick, with metallic scent. There was a sizable peace of wood popping out of his stomach, covered in something red. And now that he took closer look, there was a lot of red around him.

It took him moment to realize it was blood. His blood.

 _Oh. I'm bleeding out._ He realized. Jaune had vague feeling this revelation should bother him a bit more, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was hurting all over, it was getting colder, his vision swam, and he just wanted to close his eyes and sleep.

"No, no, no, don't you dare. Stay with me Jaune, just hold on. I'll get you help, just stay with me. Don't you fucking dare to die, just hold on a little bit longer" Leon voice sounded strangely clear, despite everything else becoming more and more blurred. The blond boy managed a weak smile. He'd never seen Leon so worried, the man was usual calm and composed, barely showing any emotion.

"Come on Jaune, don't give up now. You're a survivor. A fighter. That's what you do, don't you? You push onward, grasping every straw, every chance, no matter how small to reach your goal. You are man with a plan. Just look at you - not even fourteen years old, less than a year of training, and no Aura, and you killed a fucking Ursa. So don't you fucking dare to die now. Fight Jaune, just hold on."

 _I killed it?_  Jaune felt a little warmth in his heart. So he did it after all. He managed to kill his first Grimm. Too bad he was apparently going to die for it, but there was little he could do in that matter.

He focused on his teacher, his mentor, and friend. Somehow Jaune could see his face clearly, even though everything else was blurry. His expression was one of worry and desperation, he kept asking, no, begging Jaune to not give up.

Jaune sighed. How could he fight? He was too weak, and too tired. It was over. Even though Leon tried his best to patch him up, all the time, trying to convince Jaune to fight. And listening to him like that, Jaune came to a sudden realization.

Leon believed in him. He truly, honestly believed in Jaune. Even though he knew it was silly, there was always this annoying voice in the back of his head asking why Leon even bothered training him. Sure, the man said Jaune had the heart of a Hunter, but upon getting to know him better, Jaune doubted Leon was someone who would accept a student based on something so vague. So what was the real reason? Was this just a whim? Or maybe his parents paid him to train their son?

Jaune knew it was silly. But it didn't stop this little voice from whispering to him, crushing his confidence.

But now, lying down in this ruined town, and bleeding out, Jaune finally understood. Leon truly, honestly, believed in him. The man never said anything too encouraging, he never praised Jaune - not too much anyway. He never said to Jaune, 'you can do it' - because Leon was not one to waste breath saying obvious things. How could Jaune only realize this now? Leon never, ever doubted Jaune could become a Hunter - the older man considered it a fact, something that would happen.

This realization made him feel warm, in a way he never really felt before. It's not that no one believed in him before. His family was always supportive, but that was the problem. It was his family. They would do, or say anything to make him feel better.

Leon was different. He barely knew Jaune when he took him under his wing and he had no reason to say things just to make him feel better.

Jaune smiled, closing his eyes. It felt… nice. And warm. His body didn't hurt as much anymore, though he still felt sleepy. Then his eyes snapped open.

Leon believed in him. It wouldn't do to let him down. He focused, and willed himself to stay awake. He couldn't give up now, he still had so many things to do.

The warmth in his chest turned into a raging inferno, and then, it burst out, washing over him. Jaune let out a single gasp, and passed out.

* * *

When he woke up, he was lying in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room. He slowly sat up, resting his head on one hand.

_What happ…_

And then it all came crashing back. The ruined town, the Ursa, his fight, Leon's worried face, his desperate words. He gasped, looking around.

"Hey, kiddo." He heard familiar voice. He turned and looked at a smiling Leon, sitting in the chair next to his bed.

"It's a merchant caravan. Stumbled upon them like half an hour after you lost consciousness. We are heading to Mistral, will be there in about two days. You were out for three days. Anything else?"

Jaune blinked a few times, then chuckled. This felt oddly familiar to his time in Hunter's Rest.

"Nah, I think I'm fine."

And only after he said this, he realized he really was. Nothing hurt him, at least not as much as it should. He looked to his teacher, noticing his serious expression.

"What…"

"You really scared me there. Picking an Ursa as your first kill? And before even unlocking your Aura?" He shook his head. "Ballsy. "

Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah. But I don't think I ever want to try that again. Killing Grimm without Aura, I mean."

"Oh, don't worry about that. You won't have chance to try it again, I assure you."

Jaune gasped in shock. This couldn't it be.. Was Leon…

"Oh…" he slumped. "I guess you wouldn't want to teach me after I messed up like that."

Leon tilted his head to the side.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Jaune blinked, confused.

"But you just said…"

"That you will never get a chance to fight Grimm without your Aura ever again." The older man paused, and hummed, lost in thought.

"Well, you might be… But considering your reserves, you would have to be in some real deep shit for it to happen."

It took Jaune a few seconds to register his friend's words, and only when Leon grinned at him, blond boy finally understood what happened.

"My Aura… it's unlocked?"

Leon's grinn only widened.

"Yep."

Jaune grinned back.

"Guess that means we can start training seriously now?"

Leon laughed.

"You bet we will, Jaune."

The blond boy laughed too. He did it. He unlocked his Aura.

_I just hope that unlocking my Semblance will not require a near-death situation._

He smirked.

_I wonder what it will be? I hope something cool._

* * *

Two days after Jaune woke up, he and Leon were walking beside one of the carts.

"Don't worry Jaune. At least you unlocked it fast. Sometimes it takes years to do so."

The blond boy just groaned, his head hung low. It was so embarrassing! Could he get any lamer?

Leon sighed, and placed a hand on his student's shoulder.

"Jaune, it doesn't matter how you got it. All that matters is that it happened.."

The blond boy shot him an annoyed look.

"It's just so embarrassing!" He cried out.

"I'm sure there are worse ways to discover your Semblance."

Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah? Like what?"

Leon just shrugged.

"Dunno. Like getting struck by lightning. Can you imagine?"."

Jaune groaned again, and hung his head again. Maybe he should be happy that he discovered his Semblance so soon. And he kinda was. If only it wasn't because a few merchants let him taste their products - that he discovered too late were some of the strongest alcohols fit for consumption.

They were really surprised that a young, not even fourteen years old boy could drink almost a whole bottle, when even grown men could barely handle a few shots.

Jaune was sure it was because of his Aura - but then Leon explained that couldn't be it. Aura blocked damage coming from the outside, it couldn't do anything against chemicals that got into the body, beside speeding up recovery. So even veteran Hunters could get drunk. After a few test, only one conclusion came to mind. It had to be thanks to Semblance.

 _Jaune Arc - man that can't get drunk. Some cool Semblance I have._ He sighed.

His self-deprecating thoughts were interrupted when Leon patted his arm.

"We are here." He said, pointing ahead.

Jaune looked up, and gasped. All the gloomy thoughts fled his head, replaced by pure awe.

"Welcome to Mistral. The city where you can buy anything."

* * *

**And this wraps it up. Jaune unlocked his Aura in a cool way, and his Semblance in a not-so cool way.**


	22. Things Remembered

**Welcome to CH 21 of TPA.**

* * *

"So, that's your story?" Weiss glared at the blond boy sitting in front of her.

Jaune shrugged,

"Well… yeah."

The heiress sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Let me sum it up. You are officially a Witcher - part of the Company's elite…"

"I wouldn't say elite…" Jaune interjected, but went ignored.

"..secret…

"Not a secret at all. I told…" he tried to protest, but went ignored again.

"..strike force. You regularly are sent to exterminate extremely dangerous creatures  _alone._ And you never considered telling us?" Weiss finished, sending him an icy glare.

Jaune shifted nervously.

"Well… yeah. You never asked…"

"And would you have told us if we asked?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jaune shrugged.

"Yeah. Like I said many times already - Witchers aren't some secret organization. You can literally walk into a Company office, and ask to take the exam. It's that simple."

Blake shook her head, and looked over the small room Jaune lead them to. From what he had told them, it was a Company meeting room, usually used for meeting with important clients.

The black haired girl looked over the people gathered in the room. Most of them took Jaune's revelation rather well. Ren accepted it with a single nod, Nora and Ruby looked excited. Weiss complained, but Blake would bet anything it was more because she was annoyed that she didn't realize her old friend's… special qualifications, earlier. Even though he apparently hadn't even tried to hide it.

The one most conflicted about whole ordeal was Pyrrha. She watched her partner with a mixture of relief and worry.

_Well, I can't blame her._

Thought Blake, focusing back on the blond boy, who patiently ignored Weiss tirade. Jaune was on edge. Not because of Weiss chastising him, or the fact that they found him with a blood-dripping sword over a fresh corpse, or that he had had to explain himself. No, there was something else there, just beneath the surface. He hid it well, but Blake was good at noticing small signs that there was something wrong.

It had saved her life multiple times.

But even though she knew that there  _was_  something wrong, she wasn't sure  _what._ She doubted it had anything to do with Jaune's revelation that he was a Witcher. Blake was sure he wasn't lying when he said it wasn't a big deal - his body language when he revealed the information confirmed this. And of course they'd all heard of Witchers before. Harrowed weren't some big secret either. It's just that most people assumed they were no different than Grimm.

"So, you're saying the guy in that alley was a Harrowed?" She asked finally, if only to stop Weiss' monologue. Blake was certain that at this point everyone had turned her out, but no one dared to interrupt her, lest they draw the heiress' ire unto themselves.

"Yeah. A Ghoul, to be more precise. A young one. According to the intel I got he turned not even an hour before."

"But aren't they more… I don't know… monster-like? They showed us pictures of one in Signal, and it was all black. Looked closer to Beowolf than a human, and the guy in alley… well..." Yang asked, probably just to make sure Weiss didn't get a chance to start her nagging again. The heiress apparently realized it too, because she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"They are." Jaune confirmed. "Until you kill them. Then the Corruption starts to fade, and they usually turn into a normal human corpse. It also depends how old the Ghoul was - if it was just two or three hours older, you could see clear signs of deformation."

He sighed.

"And yes, you can check out Eclipse."

Ruby had Jaune's black sword - a Witcher's signature weapon - in her hands in an instant. Blake chuckled when her team leader started gushing about how awesome it was.

"So, what is deal with the black swords anyway?" Asked Yang, after watching her sister for a few moments. "I saw some Witchers back in Patch, and I think everyone had one."

Jaune shrugged.

"They are essentially portable Corruption purifiers. It helps ensuring that Ghouls won't turn into Wraiths, and that Wraiths stay dead."

"Really? Then is there any reason only Witchers use them?"

Jaune smirked.

"Sure there is. A very simple one - money. It's about cost effectiveness. Sure, the materials used are very Aura sensitive, and it allows us to do some cool tricks, beside the Corruption cleansing I mentioned. But at the same time, it's very hard, and expensive, to make such a sword. And you can't use it to make mecha-shifting weapons. That's why almost every Witcher makes a longsword - it's the most efficient choice."

"Wait, aren't High-Dust alloys rather common these days?" Blake asked. Despite herself, she started to become more and more interested in the topic.

Jaune just shook his head, with a small smile.

"Yes, in recent years alloys with a high Dust percentage have started to become popular. But those are still not enough for a sword like this. Most popular alloys used today usually have about twenty, twenty five percent Dust. Even the ones labeled as having high Dust content, have around fifty. This sword..." he pointed at Eclipse, still being examined by Ruby "...is made from alloy with eighty seven percent Dust. And it's a mix of several types, all of top quality." He shook his head.

"Making something like that is simply too hard and too expensive for general use. Especially if we consider it's not any more effective against Grimm than standard weapons." He chuckled, and sent a grateful nod to the white haired girl.

"If not for Weiss' help, I probably would never gathered enough to make it. Not so quickly anyway."

The heiress mumbled something quietly, but no one paid any attention to her. Blake relaxed in her seat, taking a sip of the soda someone bought them at the beginning of the meeting. Jaune didn't look as on edge as he was in the beginning, but why, she couldn't tell. Was he simply worried about how they would react? Ot it was something else, and easy conversation with friends helped to distract him?

_Well, it's not like it matters._

She thought, watching with amusement as Ruby practically mounted her fellow team leader, demanding details on the production process of Eclipse. Of course, Yang didn't pass on such a perfect opportunity to tease her younger sister, electing a blush from the young Huntress, and a laugh from everyone else. Jaune just shook his head, then shot a hurt look towards his partner when she asked if there are any meaningful differences between Grimm and Harrowed. The blond started explaining how both groups are different, even pulling out his scroll and showing them a picture of a Ghoul. There was a moment of strained silence after Nora's off-hand comment that the black monstrosity 'looks just like Mr. Wrinkles.' One look at Ren's face stopped anyone from asking what she meant.

Some questions are better left unanswered.

They talked some more, mainly asking Jaune about Harrowed and his job as a Witcher. It was a nice, easy talk, with them joking around and teasing the blond boy from time to time.

"By the way Jaune, who is Sam?" Asked Pyrrha. It was a simple, innocent question, but it killed the easy atmosphere instantly.

With one shuttering breath, Jaune's smile died, and there was distress, maybe even panic, clear on his face.

_Ok, this can't be good._

The blond laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair.

"H-how do you know that name?" He asked quietly.

Pyrrha suddenly looked very uncertain of what to say.

"Well… we came to visit you this morning, but the doctors didn't want to let us all in, so I came in alone. You were still unconscious, but when I was leaving, you woke up for a moment, and mistook me for this Sam. I was just curious…" she trailed off.

"I-I see. Well you two look kinda alike.. So I guess I… " he looked at his partner, and there was a certain desperation in his voice when he spoke. "What did I say? When I mistook you for her?"

Pyrrha shifted nervously, avoiding her partner's gaze.

"Nothing much… You just said something about there being someone dangerous wanting to hurt Sam… And that you would protect her."

"Oh… I see." after that silence fell over the room. Jaune cleary lost in his thoughts, and them not knowing what to say, or do.

The first person to act was, to everyone surprise, Weiss. With a quiet sigh, she sat next to the blond boy, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and started humming some melody. He stiffened, then relaxed, and started humming with her, a small, sad smile slowly appearing on his face.

"This sure brings back memories…" he whispered, then chuckled and shook his head. He looked up, staring at ceiling for a few moments.

Weiss smiled, and stopped her humming. They looked each other in the eyes. She gave him an encouraging nod, which he returned.

"She was like a sister to me." He spoke finally. "We first met when I was eleven, she was nine back then. Our parents were getting dinner together, so they left her with me and my sisters. I didn't really mind - just one more girl to take care of, I thought." He paused and chuckled, shaking his head.

Blake winced. She knew that tone, that way of speaking. She'd heard it many times in the White Fang, where people were discussing friends, family or lovers. Ones that they would never see again.

Judging by the expressions of the other people in the room, they all caught on where this was going too.

"But she was different. She did listen to me, but it was different than my sisters. They simply accepted that I was the one in charge, and listened because they were sure there was no other option. She allowed me to be in charge, if only to not cause a fuss." He shook his head.

"It wasn't the last time they left her under my care, and we eventually became friends. Our parents and my sisters used to tease us for spending so much time together. And then…" his breath hitched, and he paused, staring at the floor.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked when silence stretched for a few minutes. He looked up at her, eyes distant.

"What happened?" She asked, even though they had a pretty good idea. Blake recalled Headmaster Ozpin saying that Jaune had 'personal reasons' to get involved in this whole mess and sighed. When she heard it the first time, she briefly wondered what might have pushed someone as easy going and friendly as Jaune to put himself in so much danger.

The death of a close friend sounded like a good enough reason.

After a few more moments of silence, Jaune laughed bitterly.

"I don't know."

Pyrrha blinked a few times.

"You.. don't know?" She repeated, cleary having a hard time understanding her partner's response. Blake couldn't blame her. She was feeling pretty lost herself.

Jaune wrung his hands together nervously. He remained silent for nearly a full minute, gathering his thoughts.

"I remember that day cleary. Everything up until that point is so clear it's as if it happened yesterday. I remember what we ate for breakfast, I remember every store we visited and what we talked about. But when I try to recall this one moment…" he shook his head, his speech becoming faster and faster.

"I simply can't remember. Or rather I can, but I'm not sure what is real and what's not anymore." He grabbed his head in both hands, and groaned.

"The more I try to remember, the more confused I get. I recall things, little details, and they lead to one conclusion, but then I recall something different that contradicts everything else. Then I start to follow this new idea, and I recall something wrong again, and it keeps going like that over and over again. And I can't remember, even though I know I was there, and it happened, and I was sure that I made it in time, but I can't remember what happened to her after that. Toto said it was too late, but I'm sure it wasn't, and…" Jaune rambled, his voice growing more and more desperate with every word, his hands tightening on his head, as if he wanted to squeeze these confusing memories out.

Weiss hugged him tighter, starting her humming again.. Soon another voice joined, when Pyrrha sat on next to her partner, and wrapped her hand around Jaune's shaking shoulders.

Ruby looked hesitant of what to do, but after Nora bascily tackle-hugged her team leader, the young untress quickly followed in her footsteps.

Blake looked to her partner, who just shrugged, and walked behind Jaune, wrapping her arms around him. With a quiet sigh, Blake joined the group hug.

She wasn't sure how long it lasted, but Jaune eventually took a few deep breaths, and nodded.

"Thanks guys. I'm better now."

Yang snorted, but didn't let him go him.

"I bet you are, what with six gorgeous girls all over you."

Jaune chuckled and shook his head.

"I guess you are right."

Pyrrha squeezed his hand, sending him an encouraging smile.

"So, what exactly happened with Sam? And why you can't remember? You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, but…"

"No, it's ok." He took a deep breath to steady himself.

"I guess I should start from the beginning. From my 'graduation ceremony' - the day when Leon acknowledged me as ready to be a Witcher." Jaune took a moment to collect his thoughts, before continuing. "We were escorting a caravan through the mountains in the northern parts of Vale. The road we were supposed to take was blocked by an avalanche, so Leon sent me to the city that we were heading to to inform them of what happened. When I got there, I overheard some people talking about a Harrowed that spawned in the nearby woods. I decided to take it out."

He smiled at the old memory.

"It was first time I killed a Harrowed without Leon to back me up. He was pretty pissed off when he learned I took on a fire Wraith on my own, but eventually congratulated me on a job well done. That was around one year ago, right after the second time I visited Atlas." He nodded to the heiress with a small smile. "I finished forging Eclipse just a day before the caravan went off. I guess I never thanked you properly for helping me get all that Dust. So thank you."

Weiss nodded back and smiled.

"About half a year later, me and Leon visited the town again. My parents and sisters came there to meet us. Sam was with them. It was sort of celebration - I just passed my Witcher exam, and was waiting for the official response. I was freaking out, so Leon took me out there to distract me."

Jaune laughed at the memory, but his smile soon faded, replaced by a fierce scowl.

"That was when I first met that bastard." He spat.

"I went to grave of the girl that was turned into a Harrowed. And that's where I saw him - standing over it, lost in thought. At first I thought he was family, the father, or grandfather." Jaune clenched his eyes shut, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "It turned out this Harrowed was his creation. I don't know exactly how he managed to do it, but he did. And he acted as if he was doing this poor girl a favor. I was too shocked to do anything, and he ran. Then my family came over, we started to hang out, and I kind of forget about him."

Jaune trailed off. After a moment he started shaking. Pyrrha squeezed his hand, earning a grateful smile from the blond boy.

"He appeared again about a week later. I was supposed to meet up with Sam, but when I got to our meeting place, I saw him doing…  _something_  to her. I don't know what, but this is where things start to get fuzzy. I'm sure I interrupted him, but I can't remember how, and what happened next. Hell, I can't even recall his face, even though I was sure I was looking him straight in the eyes when I promised I would gut him for what he did to her."

The blond boy paused again, lost in thought. The silence stretched for a few minutes, everyone absorbing what they had learned. The one to finally break it was Ren.

"Jaune? You mentioned someone named Toto, and that he said something to you? Who is he?"

The blond boy scoffed.

"A traitor. He was part of my team on the last job. Turned out he was working with the one responsible for some time, a few years if what he said was true. Referred to the bastard as 'Master,' as if he was anything more than a psycho murderer. And he told me it wasn't an accident they attacked Sam that day. They chose her, specifically because she was close to me. They figured that if they turned her into a Harrowed, I somehow would come to 'see the truth'."

Jaune stared at his hand for a few moments, before speaking quietly.

"Problem is, he said that whatever they did to her, I was too late to stop it. That she was done for. Normally I would ignore it, but… He didn't sound as if he was lying. The bastard talked with us as if we were good friends, even though he straight up admitted he wanted us all dead just a few moments before."

He clutched his head in his hands again, letting out a low groan.

"And on top of that, whatever they used to poison water in Spring Valley, it caused us to hallucinate. And now I don't even know which memories are real anymore. Everything is messed up. Sometimes I recall Sam being the first Wraith I killed, even though I'm sure it wasn't her. Then I see scenes of us, that I'm sure never happened."

He let out a stuttering breath, his voice quiet now.

"The harder I try to recall, the worse it gets. I'm sure I stopped him, but if Toto was right, and she did turn into a Harrowed…" He looked up, at his friends, and smiled bitterly. "Then I killed her."

"Can't you find out? If we ask around, I'm sure we would be able to find out what happened to her." Ren pointed out after a few moments of silence.

Jaune chuckled.

"Oh, it would be much easier than you think. I'm sure my parents know all about it. And I know they were on their way to visit me. The doctors said so."

Ruby looked up at him, confused.

"Then why did you leave? If you knew they were coming, and that they would have answers for you, why not wait for them?"

Jaune couldn't meet her eyes. He ran his hand through his hair, looking to the side - only to meet Nora's concerned gaze. After a few moments of looking around, he realized there was no safe place to look, without meeting one of his friends' eyes. He rubbed his face with one hand, and let out a tired sigh.

"I guess… I just got scared of what the answer would be. When I heard the Company representative say there was a Ghoul problem in the city, I signed up without even thinking. I wanted some time to sort things out, and…" he sighed, shaking his head.

"Killing monsters is easy. Simple. There's not much to confuse you here. I figured that an easy job like that will help me clear my mind." He chuckled. "Didn't work out too well. But hey, at least we got to talk a few things out. So it's not like it was a total waste of time…" he laughed, but it was deprived of any joy.

Weiss squeezed his hand, and got up.

"Jaune." He looked up at her, uncertain.

"We have to go. You can't deny it any longer."

"Yeah." he got up, and took a deep breath, a small, bitter smile on his lips."Let's go."

* * *

Jaune placed a hand on the cold surface, staring at it blankly. The conversation with his parents was emotional, but quick. After he explained why he ran off, they gave him the answer he wanted, that he needed. So now he was here, trying to gather his thoughts.

It wasn't going too well.

He could see his friends out of the the corner of his eye. They were standing some distance away, enough to let him pretend that he was alone if he needed, but close enough that he knew he had their support. He was thankful for that.

Blindsided again, and shook his head. He had a feeling that he should say something, even if the person he was talking to couldn't hear, or answer him.

"Hi, Sam. Sorry I'm visiting only now. Been busy with… things." He said finally.

"So many things have happened in the past six months that I don't even know where to start. I got accepted to Beacon you know? Leon set it up for me, the old bastard." He chuckled, shaking his head.

"I long since gave up any hope that I'd get the chance to study there. And yes, I know you said it was too early to give up. I guess you were right." He stood there for a few moments, smiling at memories of good old times. Then his face hardened.

"And I'm still chasing the bastard that did this to you. Well, it turns out it might be 'Bastards.' Found out he had at least one friend that was helping him out."

"I'll find him. Or them. It doesn't matter how far they run, or how well they will hide. I'll find them, and I'll put them to justice." He smiled again, but this time it was vicious, like a wild animal bearing its teeth at its prey.

"And if they resist, I'll deal with them too. As a Witcher."

* * *

**Well here it is. Jaune has a little heart-to-heart with his friends. A few things are explained, a few remain mystery. How will the knowledge of Jaune's not-so-secret occupation will affect his friends? Well, only one way to find out.**

* * *

Jaune sighed for the uptenth time, poking his dinner with his fork absemindly. They were sitting in a small pub somewhere on the outskirts of Mistral. Six days had passed since he woke up after his fight with the Ursa. After explaining what happened, Leon seemed conflicted on whether or not to tell him off for taking such risk, or not. Eventually he agreed that Jaune had little choice but to fight the monster, and let the matter go.

Or at least that was what the blond Hunter-to-be thought, right up until their first training session after he woke up. They separated from caravan two days after he woke up. Leon gave him two more to rest, and on fifth one asked if Jaune wanted a regular training session, or a serious one. At that moment blond boy made arguably worst decision of his life.

Serious training was, to put it simply, brutal. Only then did Jaune truly understand just how strong Leon was. He could barely understand what was going on. After Leon finished beating the living hell out of him, he announced to let it be a reminder to not get into things way over his head.

"There are two types of Hunters out there." He said, leaning lazily on his training sword over a barely conscious Jaune. "Reckless ones, who charge into fights blindly over and over again, and living ones. I'll let you decide which group you want to be part of."

The next training session was much more manageable, though the young boy still walked out of it aching all over his body.

Jaune sighed again, and this time it was accompanied with another, from opposite of him.

"I think I know the answer, but just to clarify… what's got you so down?"

Jaune looked up at Leon, who was watching him curiously.

 _Is it really so obvious I'm down?_ He thought idly.

"Well, yeah. Just look at yourself."

Jaune blinked a few times, staring at Leon.

"Wait, did I said that out loud?"

"No."

_How? Is it his Semblance…_

"No, my Semblance is not mind reading."

Jaune just started at the man, doing his best impression of a goldfish.

Leon smirked at him.

"You are just easy to read. You've been down ever since that drinking incident, save moments you got distracted with other things." He eyed his young companion for a few moments, then shook his head. "It's about your Semblance, isn't it?"

Jaune just nodded. There wasn't any point in hiding it.

"I mean... It's just so useless!" He whined, but Leon stopped him before he could break into a rant.

"Really? How can you say so, if we don't even know what exactly it's doing?"

"What do you mean? We know it prevents me from getting drunk. Best Semblance ever, right there."

Leon poked his food a few times with his fork, then pointed utensil at the sulking boy..

"How?"

Jaune blinked, confused.

"How, what?"

"How is your Semblance doing it? Preventing you from getting drunk?"

Jaune opened his mouth to speak, then clicked it shut. To be fair - he had no idea. He was so busy moping around about what he knew his Semblance could do, that he didn't bother to ask,  _how_  it did it.

Leon smirked, seeing his pupil's expression change.

"Now that is the question, isn't it? Never judge a book by its cover, Jaune. Sure, we know your Semblance can prevent you from getting drunk, but that's just an end effect. But how exactly? Maybe it's some kind of poison immunity? You drank enough alcohol to bring two or three grown men down, and you didn't even have a hangover. Or maybe it's some kind of mental protection, where it prevents you from being knocked out. If we judged the usefulness of Semblances solely based on its first application discovered, I think mine would be most useless of them all."

Jaune leaned a bit closer to his teacher. He realized it only now, but he had no idea what Leon's Semblance was. Kinda sad, considering they spent so much time traveling together.

"What was it? The first time you used your Semblance, what did it do? And what it is?" He asked excitedly.

Leon leaned in his chair, and hummed, gathering his thoughts.

"I was traveling through some forest, and there were these mosquitos. They were annoying as hell, couldn't get rid of them. At some point, they started randomly changing direction, always away from me. At the time, I thought that through sheer annoyance I developed a Semblance that was basically bug repellent."

Jaune chuckled. Well, yeah, hearing that made his own sound much better. After all, any Hunter could just use Aura to protect themselves from annoying bugs.

"Took me some time, before I finally realized what it was." He drew a metal ball from his pocket, only about a centimeter in diameter, and threw it up. The small piece of metal went up, and then suddenly shot forward and smacked Jaune in the forehead.

"It's a form of telekinesis. Allows me to do some pretty neat things." He looked around and called the waitress.

"If you want to know more, I'll tell you on the road. Don't want to spill all my secrets here. Never know who is listening."

Jaune just nodded, and quickly finished his food. He simply couldn't wait to hear more about it.

* * *

"So, you want to know more?"

Jaune nodded, eager to hear the rest of the story. He held his curiosity back for two days, when Leon was taking care of some things in Mistral. Now, they were about a day's walk away from the city, sitting around a small campfire.

Leon threw another piece of wood on the fire and hummed.

"Did you know that telekinesis is one of the most popular Semblances? Around thirty percent of registered Semblances are some form of telekinesis."

Jaune shook his head. He didn't know that.

Leon chuckled.

"They are so popular, that some folks figured out a ranking systems. They check out versatility, power, and other such nonsense to figure how powerful your Semblance is. Load of bulshit, if you ask me."

"According to this ranking, mine is basically bottom tier."

Leon paused or a moment, thinking about something. Then he kicked small rock, that instead of flying forward like it should, it went to the side - and with much more speed than it should.

"All I can do is change the speed and direction of an object near me. It has a very limited range, only around two meters. I have to actually notice said object, so no bullet deflecting from me, and for me to take control of it it has to be already in motion. Oh, and there is a weight limit - max I can effect is about three kilograms. And the more energy an object has, the closer to me it has to get in order for me to take control."

Jaune hummed. That was very restrictive. Still sounded more useful than not getting drunk, but not by much.

"But there's more to it, right?"

Leon shook his head.

"No. That's it. All I can do is change the speed and direction of very small, and light objects that are in motion around me. And I'm restricted to a max weight - so if you throw, let's say, two rocks, two kilograms each, I will be able to take control of only one, since the total mass is above my limit. I will be able to manipulate the second one, only when first leaves my 'control zone.'"

"So, as you can see - it's rather weak in comparison to, let's say, Glynda Goodwitch. She can do stuff that honestly is borderline magic. But…" he smirked.

"Mine has its advantages too. For example - even though I'm limited to a certain weight, I'm not limited by number. I can control as many things as I want, so long as their combined mass does not exceeds three kilograms. I can activate it much faster than most people with telekinesis, and there is nothing to give away that I'm using it. What's more, even when they leave my control zone, they will still travel at the speed I sent them off. Still, many people laugh it of as a non factor in combat." He chuckled, leaned down, and picked five or six small rocks.

"Not something you would consider a weapon, right?" He asked. Jaune hummed in agreement. Leon smirked.

"But If you speed it up enough…" He threw them up, and this time all the rocks flew behind Leon, so fast that Jaune couldn't even see where they went. The only thing he noticed was the sound of something hard impacting wood, and then a few holes in the trunk of a tree behind Leon that definitely weren't there before.

"If you have a strong stomach, you can look up photos of victims of sandstorms in Vacuo. Some people had their skin peeled off by sand traveling almost three hundred kilometers per hour. Now, image what those could do, if they were traveling at two times the speed of sound."

Jaune started imagining, then stopped. It sounded… nasty.

"And now imagine that it's not sand, but for example, this." He pulled small pouch from his belt, and opened it for Jaune to see. There were multiple pieces of metal in there, each diamond shaped, about two centimeters long and one wide, very thin, and by the looks of it, very sharp. He tentatively reached out, and Leon placed the pouch in his hand. It weighed around two kilograms.

Jaune imagined its contents flying at him at the speed of sound and swallowed. That was something he didn't want to experience, Aura or not.

"Of course, I didn't' know I could do all of that form the beginning. It was also possible I couldn't - Semblances, just like muscles, or Aura, can be trained. And they can evolve."

Leon looked in the eyes of his student, and smiled.

"So don't go wasting time complaining that you got dealt a bad hand. Instead, try to figure out what you can do with it. And who knows? It might turn out ot be something pretty cool."

Jaune smiled. Leon was right, as always. Moping around wouldn't help him, but learning more about his Semblance?

He nodded.

"Hey, Leon?"

"Yeah?"

"I know we just left, but… do you think we could go back to Mistral? I think there is some research I need to do."

"Sure thing. But not now. I have a job in a village not far from here that I need to take care of. So your research will have to wait for like four or five days."

Jaune just nodded, and stretched.

He had no time to be feeling down. There were still a lot of things he needed to learn to be Hunter.

* * *


	23. Calm After Storm

**Welcome to CH 22 of TPA. JJD is the one keeping this madness contained.**

* * *

Jaune awoke with a gasp, hand reaching for his sword, eyes scanning for any incoming threats. A hand landed on his shoulder, and he lashed out, trying desperately to free himself…

"Jaune, it's me! Calm down, everything is alright."

He stilled at the sound of a familiar voice. He looked around, only now taking in the details. He wasn't in some misty forest, or damp cave, or ruined town. There were no monsters around, trying to devour him whole.

Instead, he was in a familiar room, lying in a familiar bed. He looked at the hand that was resting on his shoulder, his eyes trailing up it, until he met gentle, green eyes, now filled with concern.

"P-Pyrrha?" He choked out.

His partner sent him a reassuring smile and nodded.

"Yes, it's me. Everything is alright Jaune. We're at Beacon, and everyone is fine. It's Thursday, but classes were canceled until next week, so we don't need to rush anywhere."

The blond boy scanned the room, noticing his teammates sending him easy smiles, and slowly relaxed.

"Thanks. I'm good now."

She looked at him for a few more moments, then nodded.

"What time it is anyway?" He asked, sitting up and slapping his cheeks to wake himself up.

"Almost ten." Answered Ren from over the book he was reading.

Jaune blinked, surprised.

"That late? Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

"Who knows…" Nora trailed off, a sly smile on her lips.

Jaune looked to Ren, who just shrugged, then to Pyrrha, who for some reason didn't want to meet his eyes.

Realizing he wasn't get a proper answer, he got up and stretched. Then he froze.

There was something he was forgetting about, he was sure about it. Something important…

"Your meeting with Miss Goodwitch is in a half an hour. You still have some time left."

Jaune winced. The meeting was part of the 'mandatory consultation for students that suffered a traumatic experience on a mission,' as Ozpin put it. Even though Jaune didn't think he really needed them, he agreed to attend without complaining. He did get drugged out of his mind and had some pretty nasty hallucinations after all. So, now he had to visit Miss Goodwitch in her office two times a week, for two months.

He shook the thoughts out of his head. He only had half an hour until the appointed time after all. Enough that he didn't have to rush to get up, but not enough to go to cafeteria and grab something to eat.

 _Oh well. It's not like I'll die if I go without food…_ his thoughts were interrupted by a plate with toast, vegetables, and meat being placed on the nightstand next to his bed.

"We didn't want to wake you up, so we just brought you some food from the cafeteria." Explained Pyrrha with a small smile.

Jaune blinked a few times, looking at every one of his teammates with wide eyes.

"You guys are the best team ever, you know that?"

Nora looked at him like he just stated the most obvious thing in the world.

"Duh, of course. I mean, it's us we are talking about."

He chuckled and went to the bathroom. After a quick shower, he paused in front of the mirror, looking himself over. There were no sign of corruption anywhere on his body, nor any new scars. Overall, despite how wrong whole mission went, none of them suffered too severe of injuries.

Jaune smiled at the thought. To his relief, it turned out he wasn't the sole survivor afterall. The Old Man, Foxy, and Doc all made it out alive, though the old Witcher lost his left eye. When Jaune commented on it, he just shrugged, saying this was supposed to be his last mission anyway, and now at least he had a decent reason to retire, other than old age. Both Doc and Foxy had only a few minor cuts, and were signed off after just two days.

None of them suffered any lasting effects from the poison used in Spring Valley, and the test they took showed no traces left of it in their bodies.

With a sigh, Jaune got dressed, and walked out of the bathroom. With his team busy with their own things, he just grabbed the plate and started to eat. Things had calmed down a bit, though the uproar after people learned that everyone in Spring Valley died was massive. Despite official statements saying otherwise, a lot of people started blaming the White Fang, and the Faunus in general, despite how many of them died in that city as well. There were some small incidents, but thankfully it didn't turned into full scale riots. Eventually, the Vale Police department announced that the one responsible was the same person who commited all the murders in Vale almost two weeks ago. Despite them having no real evidence to back it up, people easily accepted this, and Jaune was all too happy to provide any information he could about this so called 'Master.' He still couldn't recall his face, but apparently the rescue team recovered Toto's scroll, and they had found some leads there.

He finished his breakfast, and checked the time. Fifteen minutes till the appointed meeting. He better get going, it was safer to wait a bit, than make Miss Goodwitch wait.

He rose, and all eyes focused on him.

"You going already?" Asked Ren.

"Yeah. Better be too early, than too late."

They all nodded, and got up. Jaune sighed. For some reason his team, and team RWBY, decided they would escort him everywhere he went. This might have something to do with his parents asking them to look out for him...whether he liked it or not.

When he mentioned he didn't exactly need help to find his way around Beacon, when he went to his first meeting with Miss Goodwitch this past Tuesday, Weiss just snorted and said they didn't trust him to not get in some kind of mess on the way.

After realizing all his friends shared this opinion, he sighed and let himself be escorted. It's not like it harmed anyone, and he could think of worse things to happen than to walk through Beacon's corridors accompanied by five beautiful girls, and one cute one.

The amount of jealous glares he and Ren earned increased significantly because of this, but hey, who cared? Certainly not him.

They reached their destination after a short walk. Jaune knocked on the door, and after short wait, a 'come in' sounded from inside, he opened the door and walked into Miss Goodwitch's office.

The older woman looked up at him from over her glasses, and nodded once, pointing at a chair in front of her desk.

Jaune nodded back, and sat, patiently waiting for her to finish whatever paperwork she was busy with. It didn't take her long, and just a few moments later, she looked him in the eyes with a small smile.

"Welcome Mr. Arc. Before we begin, I must say I'm glad you agreed to these sessions. It was very mature of you."

Jaune chuckled

"Well yeah. I know how much talking things out can help after a mission that went to hell. Leon made sure of It. 'Talk it out, or beat it out - your choice,' he used to say."

Glynda raised a single eyebrow.

"Oh? And how did 'beating it out' work?"

Jaune winced at an old memory, and one of his many, many bad decisions.

"Literally. Very, very literally."

The older woman chuckled and shook her head.

"I think I can see Leon doing it. But I can assure you that we will not be using such methods, so you can rest easy."

Jaune blinked in surprise.

"Wait, you know Leon?"

Goodwitch nodded once.

"Mostly by reputation. But he used to work here at Beacon, as a second Combat instructor…"

Jaune recoiled.

"Leon.. worked here? That doesn't sound like something he would do…"

".. for about two days. I seem to recall him storming into Ozpin office,  _begging_  him to, I quote, 'let him back to the nice, safe wilds, away from this madness.'"

Jaune barked a laugh.

"Yeah, that sounds like something Leon would do."

He shook his head, then sighed.

"But I suppose we are not here to talk about my teacher, and his inability to deal with people?"

Glynda regarded him with a serious expression.

"How are you doing Jaune?" She asked after a few moments.

It was a nice, easy question. It could refer to a number of things. But Jaune was sure he knew it referred to one specific aspect of the mission.

"I… I'm not sure to be honest. It's not as bad as I expected it to be. It…" he paused, looking for the words. He took a deep breath, and slowly let it go. "It's not first time I've had to watch people die. Or grant them the last mercy." He sighed. "Anyway, how have things been in Vale? I know I lot of people lost family there."

She hummed sadly. "About as well as can be expected I suppose. Loss is always hard. You know that better than most, don't you? How well did you know Clay?"

The memory of that moment flooded back. A dark, damp cave. Clay's battered body. His calm expression and the words he spoke. A plea for help, the only help Jaune could offer him at that point. To not let a person he came to consider a friend turn into monster. To let him die as a human. With at least some semblance of dignity.

And, just a few moments later, the arrival of people that could truly help him. If only he had waited just a bit longer...

He shook his head, dispeling the thoughts. What was done, was done. No point in losing himself in what-ifs.

"Not that well honestly." He winced. "I guess I just kinda got used to it. I came to understand that in some cases, a swift death is the best thing you can offer someone. It wasn't that kind of situation, but at the time, I thought it was. I couldn't known that help was so close." He chuckled darkly, running a hand through his hair, then looked up at the older woman, smiling sadly.

"I'm not blaming myself, if that is what you're asking. I been through it a few times, and Leon beat that sort of thinking out of me. Yeah, it sucks that it happened, and it sucks that Clay might have lived, if I only waited for a few more moments. Or maybe he wouldn't. Maybe the Headhunter that was standing behind me would have killed him in some horrific way. Maybe he would die on the way to hospital, then turn, and killed someone." He shrugged. "It happened, I made a decision, and now I have to live with it. We can never know what would have happened if I waited, but what I  _do_  know is that the one truly responsible for Clay's death is this... Master." He spat the last word, as if it was worst curse.

So… yeah." He finished with a shrug. "I'm just glad that nobody from the school got involved."

Glynda watched him for a few moments appraisingly, elbows on her desk, fingers linked in front of her face.

"I see." She said finally. "I checked your records, and I saw several mentions of you being in similar situations in the past. I'm glad that you do not pretend that you are completely fine after what happened, or worse even - that you really are. So tell me, how are things with your team? These past few weeks found you rather busy with activities not necessarily linked to school. Are there any problems on that end?"

Jaune paused to consider the question.

"I.. don't think so. All of them are easy to get along with. Yeah, we didn't spend as much time together as we probably should, and I wasn't involved nearly as much as I probably should be, what with me being team leader, but…" He shrugged.

"It's not like I was completely out of the loop. We spent some time together, talked things out. Made plans for some team activities. Pyrrha offered to help me with fighting. Well all of us really. I think she was the one most bothered by the whole situation, but now that things have calmed down, she seems to have cheered up. Ren is chill, and a reasonable guy, he accepted that it wasn't me not trusting them, but suggested that in the future, I give them at least some details, so they don't worry too much. We talked a few times, and he offered to help me with my Elixirs. And Nora is… well, Nora." He ended with shrug.

The older woman chuckled.

"I see. I heard that you made your friends aware of you status as a Witcher. How did they take it?"

Jaune blinked in surprise. He honestly didn't expect this to come up.

"Umm... well, I guess? I never expected it to be a big deal, but it apparently was."

Goodwitch seemed to want to say something, but then just shook her head, mumbling something quietly.

"So, what are you planning to do now?" She asked eventually.

Jaune shrugged.

"Well, I think normal, student things? Unless I get myself involved in another mess."

"I was asking if you intend to pass some of your knowledge onto them."

Jaune blinked, confused.

"You mean... teach them?"

Goodwitch nodded.

Jaune started at her, dumbfounded.

"But… what?"

It was her turn to stare at him. When it became clear he really had no idea, she sighed, massaging her forehead.

"About Harrowed and Grimm."

He opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him.

"Jaune, you may not realize it, but you are in a unique position. It isn't uncommon for people with  _some_ practical experience against Grimm to come to Beacon to study, and some combat prep schools do let their students go on missions with professional Hunters. In some cases, they let the best students shadow said professionals for a few weeks. But you have been doing it for  _four years,_  and in regions much more dangerous that any school would dare send their students to. The amount of practical experience you have is far beyond what most, if not all students would have. And I'm not just talking about first years."

Jaune started at the older woman, wondering if it was some kind of joke. Because seriously - was she really suggesting that he knew that much more than the others? Sure Pyrrha seemed surprised when he told her about the pack tactics of Bewolves, and then was that one time after Grimm Studies Class… But it was just Beowolves! They were kind of his speciality. They were everywhere, you could hardly throw a rock without hitting one. After Jaune unlocked his Aura, Leon usually delegated him to deal with the wolflike Grimm, while the older man was dealing with bigger threats. This gave Jaune more time to study them, learn their behavior, how they acted, and so on. So sure, he might know a lot about them, but other Grimm?

All he knew was common knowledge. Every Hunter he knew, knew more than him. Like Leon. Sure he was a veteran, but there were others. Like his father!

Ok, he was veteran too. But there was Sam parents...

And his father's old team…

And a few of Leon's friends he met...

He strained his memory to think of any person involved in the Hunter business that he knew at least the name of, that was  _not_  a veteran Hunter. It was surprisingly hard. Almost as if...

Wait, there was that old drunk that Leon called 'Birdy!' They only met a few times, and hadn't really talked much, beside that one time the old man gave Jaune a few pointers on how to properly grapple with someone. Yeah, he was totally a novice, and…

Jaune strained his memory even harder.

There was Crystal and her team! They were only twenty three, so they only had like, two years of experience! Not counting all the missions they took while they were students.

Or the ones his father took them on during, and even before they started attending Beacon...

Who else… Beside his team that is…

There were Butch, thought he wouldn't really call the man friend, more of an acquaintance.

Then there was the Old Man…

And Doc, even though they only exchanged a few words…

Foxy… with whom he didn't talk at all...

And…

Peter?

…

Oh.

Ohhhhhhhhh.

The realization finally settled in. How he never noticed that just about everyone he knew was an experienced Hunter? Sure, there was his mother and younger sisters, but for one, they were civilians, and for two, they still knew a lot about Grimm.

Jaune sighed, running a hand through his hair, his usual nervous tick.

"To be honest, I never thought about it. I always assumed that what I knew was common knowledge. I mean, they all have four years of studying under their belts, and me…" he chuckled nervously.

"I didn't even get into combat school. Sure, Leon taught me a lot, but he always warned me to not get in over my head. "

Goodwitch shook her head.

"It's good to be humble Jaune, but underestimating your own abilities can be as, or even more, dangerous than overestimating them. Not only for you, but for the people you will be working with. During those four years, you surely learned many things we either don't have time, or means, to teach our students here at Beacon. And when it comes to your knowledge about Harrowed - it's far beyond anything that is taught at school."

Jaune blinked, surprised.

"Really?" his eyes narrowed "What exactly  _are_  you teaching then?"

Glynda let out a tired sigh.

"Basics. A bit about they behavior, categories and main differences between them, that sort of things. Really, it all comes down to us saying 'Harrowed are monsters, similar to Grimm. Kill on sight.' The Council prefers to let people believe that they are just different type of Grimm, instead of having general populace be terrified of  _two_  separate kind of monsters that wants to kill us all, especially if one of them are basically dead people." She shrugged. "And besides, we can't tell for sure that they are  _not_  Grimm.."

Jaune hummed. Well, that... made sense? Kinda?

"So what, you want me to run my team trough Witcher preparation course?" He asked, half-jokingly.

"I don't 'want' you to do anything Jaune. I'm just pointing out you have a lot of valuable knowledge - and it certainly wouldn't hurt anyone if you would share it with your friends." She answered seriously.

Jaune snorted. Yeah sure. This was really… dumb…

Wait, now that he thought about it… why not? They were sure to encounter Harrowed sooner or later, and if he could help them prepare, there were no real reason not to.

If they wanted to, that is. He wasn't so sure about that part, but it was worth a shot.

"Well, I'll be honest about it - I never even considered the idea. Though now I'm not sure why." He laughed.

The older woman sent him a small smile and nod.

"Then I'm glad I mentioned it. I'm sure this will be a valuable experience for everyone. But for now, let us focus on the main reason you are here. Tell me Jaune, when you were in Spring Valley…" from there, they talked about his last mission for about half an hour. Eventually, Miss Goodwitch let him go, setting their next meeting for Monday afternoon.

Both teams were waiting patiently for him. He smiled, mulling over the idea that Glynda planted in his head. It would require some arrangements, but it shouldn't be too hard. He shook his head and followed his friends to the cafeteria for an early launch.

Well, he would talk to them about it later.

* * *

Cardin Winchester leaned back in his chair and smiled. It was a good day. He got to show some wimps their place, knock around some Faunus trash - seriously, why they let animals in a school for Hunters was beyond him - and none of the staff caught him. And on top of that, lessons were still canceled. Of course, unlike most morons he didn't use all this free time just for lazing around - he made sure his team didn't skip practice.

They were good, sure, but that didn't mean they couldn't become better. Especially considering the fact that, surprisingly, they weren't the top team in Beacon. And as hard as it was to say, after some cru… very close matches, he couldn't deny that teams NPR and RWBY were better than them. And yes, team NPR, not JNPR. Cardin refused to acknowledge a weakling such as Jaune Arc.

His face twisted in a grimace. Just thinking about the name left a bad taste in his mouth.

Seriously, who the hell did this guy think he was? Not only did he make himself comfortable as the partner of  _the_  Pyrrha Nikos, he even was made leader of his team! At first he was willing to give blond, tall and scraggy a chance to prove himself, but Arc was excused from every combat class so far. Why, no one knew, but considering he was the only one who still hadn't fought in Goodwitch's class, you didn't need to be as smart as Cardin to figure out something was up.

Dove, one of his teammates, nudged his arm, and nodded towards the door of the cafeteria.

Cardin's scowl grew even fiercer.

_Speak of the devil…_

Here was Jaune Arc, not a single care in the world, surrounded by all the top girls among the first years.

"Look at him, getting all that attention, thinking he's better than us." Dove spat.

"Yeah, And all he does is hide behind his partner. And that mission he was sent on? I heard he was so scared when he got back he needs to have therapy sessions with Goodwitch." Sky Lark snorted.

Cardin just shook his head. Guy went on a mission, saw a few Grimm, maybe a body or two, and broke already? Pathetic.

"Someone should show him his place. Beacon is not a place for whiny little bitches like him." Russell cracked his knuckles.

Cardin nodded to himself. Yeah, he agreed wholeheartedly. But how should they go about it? The little blond bitch was always accompanied by at least one of his friends. And he had no doubt that he will run crying straight to Goodwitch if someone so much as shoved him aside. If only he could separate Jaune from his friends, it would be so much easier.

"By the way, are you gonna compete in the…" Dove began, but shut up under his leader's glare. That was not something to talk about in public like that. They didn't want to risk the wrath of the Queen. And then it struck him. It was so simple, he had no idea why he didn't think of it before. Not only it would allow him to show the little blond Hunter-wannabe his place, he would be able to do it in front of an adoring audience. He grinned viciously.

"Of course. And I think I'll be nice enough to introduce our blond friend to it."

His team looked at him in surprise, but they soon caught on what he intended to do. They smiled viciously. Dove however hummed, looking at the blond team leader talking with his friends.

"But… how do you intend to drag him there? I mean the Queen doesn't let everyone in, and even if she was interested in him, do you really think that he has the balls to come?"

Cardin grinned.

"Oh, I think he will have little choice in the matter."

* * *

**And here we are. Some info about what effect tragedy in Spring Valley had on Vale, nd on Jaune himself. You didn't think he would get out of it without some mental scars, did you?**

**Anyway, I'm not sure if I mentioned it already, but the Jaune in this story doesn't have as big of self-esteem issues as the cannon one.**

**But 'not as big' doesn't mean 'none'. He doesn't think of himself as failure, more so that he is... average. Bar some exceptions (like his cooking skills, or...let's call it alchemy) that he takes pride in, he is sure that he is nothing special. That's why he never considered telling his friends that he is a Witcher - he simply believed that it's something not worth mentioning.**

**And now, thanks to Glynda's suggestion, he has something to think about. Does this mean we will have a few more Witchers in this story? Well, probably.**

**Also, Cardin. What has he gotten himself into? And who is this Queen he was talking about? Did he advanced from simple bully to 'evil boss minion'? Or is something else going on here?**

**Who knows. I'm not sure I do, and I'm author.**

**And here is omake. I wrote it some time ago, and was waiting for a good place to put it. I guess there is no point in waiting anymore.**

**JJD: Cr00cy and I have the same story telling method. It's called the 'who the fuck knows,' school of thought.**

* * *

**First Time.**

Jaune was running through the forest in state that was not really panic - but really close to it. The tracks were still fresh, and clearly visible - the group of bandits he was chasing didn't bother to cover them. Though so many people - about ten bandits and the twenty villagers they kidnapped - walking through the forest were bound to leave a clear trail. All of this reminded him of another village, another forest, and another bandit raid, that happened not even a week ago.

Back then, they'd reached the village when the attack was still underway. Back then. Leon managed to take out most of the bandits before they left village. Back then, Jaune was taking care of the wounded, and learned about a small group - only five or so people - by accident.

Back then, he messed up bad, and a young, innocent woman had to pay the price for his mistake.

This time, when they burst into raided village, the bandits already left. The local doctor was taking care of the wounded. After some brief questioning, they learned that the bandits split into two groups - a smaller one with only about ten men went north, taking most of the young women from the village with them.

The other group - about thirty men strong, went north-east, carrying the stolen goods.

After some brief consideration, Leon and Jaune decided to split up. The older Hunter would go after the bigger group, where, according to villagers, the leader was, and take them out. Jaune would track the second group and make sure to leave clear marks for Leon to follow.

 _Not like it's needed._ He thought, looking at all the tracks clearly visible in the soft soil.

It didn't take him long to find the bandits. Hidden behind a tree, he observed the group of five rugged men sitting around a small campfire, drinking and laughing.

_Good. As long as they're just drinking, the hostages are safe. And they will be easier to deal with once Leon gets here._

One of the men get up, staggered, and then walked towards the cart sitting nearby.

_That has to be where they are keeping the hostages._

This was confirmed when the bandit got back to his companions, dragging a young girl with him.

When the men started tearing her clothes away, Jaune tensed, memory of different clearing, in a different forest flashing before his eyes. He tensed, ready to sprint out of cover and help the girl. But stopped himself.

_Don't. You failed against two guys, here you have five - and another five missing. If you go in, you will just make things worse._

He closed his eyes and desperately tried to ignore the sounds he was hearing.

_Hurry up Leon. Please hurry up._

Suddenly, a painful cry shocked him out of his thoughts - mostly because it was a manly voice crying.

He looked back to clearing to see one man clutching his face with one hand, and two others holding the struggling girl. The bandits argued about something for a few moments, before the one who got hurt walked back to girl. Steel flash in daylight - and her struggles stopped.

The bandits left the lifeless body, and walked towards the cart.

Jaune did nothing. He just stared mindlessly at bloodied and bruised body of the young girl. His mind stopped working, he couldn't formulate a single thought.

Only when the two men came back, dragging another girl with them, did Jaune's brain start working again. When they started to tear her clothes away, he could feel something stir inside of him. It started around his stomach, and was sending waves of cold and heat through his body.

Terror. That's what Jaune was feeling right now. He watched in terror as the, now naked, girl was thrown to the ground - not far from the lifeless form of the previous girl. This terror grew even further when the same man who killed the last one walked to the new victim, knife in hand. He was saying something, pointing the bloodied piece of steel first at the corpse, then at her. The message was clear enough that Jaune understood it even without hearing what the bandit said.

When the girl stilled, and just laid on the ground, without any sign of resistance, something snapped inside of the young Hunter.

 _How?_  He asked himself dumbly.

_How can this be happening. How can people do such things to other people?_

He watched as man kneeled, apparently eager to finish what he couldn't last time.

_They are like animals. No, not animals. More like wild beasts. Mons…_

And then it dawned on him.

About six months after he left with Leon, they stumbled on the first village raided by bandits. Jaune could still remember the terrified, hollow faces of villagers - people who lost their money, their homes, their loved ones. When Jaune asked how people could do something like that, he didn't expect his master to answer.

Back then, he didn't understood what Leon meant when he said that something like that could be done only by monsters. That there were borders, and rules that every person had to follow. If you break these rules, go past these borders - you are no longer a person. You are monster, no better, and maybe even worse than the Grimm.

But now he understood. He understood why the situation looked so hopeless to him. Why he couldn't think of anything he could do to help, and even why he failed so miserably the last time.

He was trying to protect people from other people. Of course he would fail - since it wasn't people attacking other people.

It was monsters attacking people.

Crocea Mors left its scabbard easily, like it was eager to start its bloody job.

Just like last time, the bandits didn't noticed him until he was almost upon them. Just like last time, he collided with his target at full speed, striking with all his might.

Unlike last time, he did it with his sword, not his shield.

It honestly surprised him how easily cold steel tore through flesh and muscle, pierced spine and lungs and erupted from chest. Jaune twisted his blade, and then tore it free, lashing at the monster to his right. He tried to defend himself, but a clumsy parry left him off-balance. Something the young Hunter quickly capitalized on, by removing his right leg.

The bandit fell with cry of pain, but Jaune paid him no heed - he was no longer a threat, so he focused on the remaining three.

A mace hit his shield, and slid down, its wielder stumbling forward. Crocea Mors bit into soft flesh, splitting his stomach open. Jaune spun, letting the third monster sail past him and fall to the ground. He got up to his knees, and apparently tried to decide whether to focus on keeping his insides from spilling out, or continue attacking.

Jaune helped him make the decision with a quick stab to the heart. When the lifeless body fell to the ground, he focused on the last two threats. They stood on the other side of the campfire, around eight meters from him. They watched him warily, weapons held at the ready. One had a crude spear, the other a decent looking sword and a small round shield. Both looked uncertain whether to attack or not.

Jaune didn't intended to let them choose. He charged straight at them, swinging his sword wildly, and roaring at the top of his lungs.

The bandits jumped aside, trying to flank him. Jaune blocked the spear with his shield, and knocked the other bandit's sword aside with his own. He tried to pursue the spearman - but he proved quite fast, and the blond Hunter earned a strike to his shoulder for his trouble. The blow didn't go past his Aura, but staggered him for a moment. The spearman stabbed, but Jaune blocked it, and jumped back. The swordsman followed, slashing towards the blond's neck. Blade impacted shield, and the young Hunter retaliated with his own slash. The bandit managed to block it with his shield. Jaune tried to follow up with a shield bash - but the spearman attacked again, forcing him to defend.

Jaune snarled. This was going nowhere - these two were too good at covering each other. He couldn't attack effectively because he had to use both his shield and sword to defend. If only he could block both attacks with his shield… And then idea struck him.

He had another shield, didn't he?

So, the next time the bandits attacked, he blocked spearman's strike with his shield, and purposefully left himself open for the swordsman's strike. Moments before the blade impacted his chest he focused as much Aura as he could on that place. Jaune expected a bit of pain, but hoped the swordsman would leave himself open for a counter after delivering what he thought was a deadly attack.

He didn't expect a flash of bright, white light. Both bandits screamed in surprise, the swordsman doubly so, when his weapon was pushed back by an invisible force. Not wanting to waste this sudden opportunity, Jaune lunged forward.

The bandit tried to raise his head - but he was too late. Crocea Mors bit into his chest, tearing lungs and heart. Jaune didn't pulled his sword back - but rather pushed to the side, splitting the bandit's chest open. He fell to the ground, and Jaune stepped over the dead body, eyes locked on the spearman.

He didn't look too intent on going one on one with someone who took out four of his companions in less than two minutes.

Jaune was about to charge ahead, but then noticed something that stopped him. The bandit's stance, stiff just a moment before, relaxed. He gripped his spear firmly, but not desperately.

The only warning Jaune got was the way the man's eyes shifted, and focused on something behind him, and small smirk appearing on his lips. Something heavy and metal impacted his hasty raised shield, sending him flying. He hit the ground hard, rolled, and stopped when his head hit a rock.

His vision swam, he couldn't focus, and felt like he was about to pass out. Instead, he forced himself to get up, and looked around to see who attacked him.

_Fuck._

Was all that came to his mind when he took in the scene in front of him. There were ten more men in the clearing now, all rugged and armed - no doubt bandits. More were coming, and fanning out around one figure - a large, fat man, with a black beard, bald head and massive hammer in hand.

_It has to be the second group. They got the loot wherever they wanted to get it, and reunited with the second team. Or just came for good time with the girls._

Jaune's eyes narrowed.

_Fat-ass had to be the leader. Judging by his weapon, he had to have his Aura unlocked. It didn't look like a mecha-shift weapon, so he probably wasn't a rogue Hunter._

Still, the odds were not in his favor. Around thirty men now stood in the clearing. Even if none of them had Aura, Jaune doubted he could take them all on. And with their massive leader? Yep, this looked bad.

The sounds of footsteps from behind him made him curse.

"Language, kid. I know a man has to throw it out from time to time, but if Mei finds out I taught you such words, she will make a doormat from my hide."

Jaune actually laughed at his master's words. He let his arms fall to his sides - but he refused to fall to the ground. Not yet. Leon walked past him, scanning the mob of bandits in front of him. They were shouting something Jaune couldn't quite understand. It didn't really matter - they all were going to die soon.

"Hostages?" His mentor asked.

"In the cart."

"Casualties?"

"One dead hostage. Three dead bandits, one heavily wounded."

"Which one beat you up like that?"

"I'm not sure - I was hit from behind. But judging from the impact, it had to be fat one."

Leon nodded and started walking towards the bandits. Jaune forced himself to stay awake - and standing. He simply had to see it.

"So, you guys not only raided the village with one of my favorite bars, you also beat up my pupil. I do not appreciate this. I think I'll have you pay - with your lives."

Fat-ass answered something, but Jaune wasn't listening. Who cared what a dead man is saying? Not him, that's for sure.

Leon grabbed the handle of his sword. The bandit leader charged with a loud roar, taking a wide swing. The massive hammer was met by a silvery blade - that shattered into thousands of pieces almost instantly. There was a moment of stunned silence - and then the bandits cheered.

Their leader smirked and said something. Leon didn't answer.

The bandit said something again, and when he did not receive an answer - started shouting.

Leon just tilted his head to side, watching the massive man in front of him with a vague curiosity.

The bandit leader got bored, or angry, and raised his weapon to finish off the defenseless Hunter.

His arm ceased to exist. It wasn't cut off, or torn, or smashed, or anything like that. One moment a fat arm was raising massive weapon, the next it exploded into cloud of red mist. The bandit leader opened his mouth to scream - but he choked. Then more of the bloody mist exploded from his chest. A perfectly oval hole formed - Jaune could see some of the bandits through it. At first it was small, barely enough to fit a finger in, but in less than a second, it grew to size of a fist. More such spots appeared, turning flesh into mist.

After not even thirty seconds, the only thing left of the bandit leader was his clothes, weapon, and head - which Leon considered for a moment, then kicked at his cronies.

They all stepped back. Someone shouted something, and they looked ready to attack - but then his head exploded, splitting fragments of bone and brain all over the place. A lot of it landed on the bandits themselves.

Leon casually walked forward, still holding the hilt of his sword - the only thing that remained - with one hand. Then, slowly, the broken blade started to reform. In less than fifty seconds, one wouldn't be able to tell that it was broken at all.

Leon just continued to walk forward.

The bandits hesitated. They fell back a few steps. Someone shouted something.

Someone else shouted back.

They spread out, surrounding the lone Hunter. No one paid any attention to Jaune.

Leon stopped, content to wait for them to come. He didn't have to wait long.

Another shout sounded, and the bandits readied their weapons. Then, with a roar, they charged.

And then they died. Not single a one survived. This wasn't even a fight - it was a completely one-sided massacre.

Jaune smiled when he saw his master help the lone girl stand. Then he passed out.

* * *

Three days later, Jaune was standing alone, staring at a fresh grave. The girl he watched being raped and killed laid there. He had a feeling that he should feel something - anything.

But he didn't. He was just tried. Of this place, of people, of his own thoughts. He wanted to just curl up in some quiet place, and sleep.

After the bandit attack they escorted the kidnaped girls back to the village, but it quickly become clear that it was not a safe place. They barely sat down, when the Grimm came. The first wave was small - only five Beowolves. They were dealt with fast, but more followed.

It quickly became clear that the village was done for - the damage to walls was too great to fix, and over half of the residents were killed in the attack. Those who survived - mostly women, children, and elderly - couldn't hope to defend themselves. So yesterday the decision was made to abandon the ruined village. Jaune and Leon offered to escort the refugees to the nearest bigger city. Thankfully it wasn't a long walk - only a week or so.

When the villagers were making their preparations, Jaune excused himself and came to the graveyard. He came here often in these past three days. Each time he visited the same grave, each time feeling like he should say something. But he never did.

A familiar hand landed on his shoulder.

"You know what?" Said Jaune "I feel like I should say something.  _Feel_  something. Anything. But I just... don't."

There was no answer from his companion - but Jaune didn't expected any.

"It's not even that I'm spent, or shocked. Or at least I don't think so. I'm just… I don't know."

He turned around and looked into Leon's eyes. There was no judgment there, just attention, and maybe some curiosity.

"I guess it doesn't matter now. We have villagers to escort. We can talk about what I feel - and what I don't - after we get these people to safety."

Leon nodded and they walked towards the village center.

The time for talk would come later. Now, they had job to do.

* * *

**Yep, here it is. Jaune's first kill. It probably didn't come as surprise, considering how and when Jaune was learning to be a Hunter, and even what he said to Glynda. But I just thought I should make it clear. Jaune has killed people. And not only as act of mercy.**

**Oh, and someone mentioned that even though there is a 'comedy' label on this story, there was not much to laugh at for few past chapters. So I thought I should do something about it. The next few chapters should be much lighter, without anyone dying, or dead people raising.**

**Maybe.**

**I'm not making any promises.**


	24. Ring of Masks

**Welcome to ch 23 of TPA.**

* * *

Jaune smiled happily, stretching. It was Saturday morning, the day was sunny and warm, despite it being fall, and nothing had tried to kill him the whole week. Not only that, he didn't get dragged into any messes involving hordes of monsters and madmen turning people into said monsters.

He let out a content sigh. It was really nice to just kick back and relax like this. Really, nothing could spoil…

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A little blond Hunter-wannabe slacking off when his team is training? Why am I not surprised…"

Well, almost nothing.

"Cardin…" Jaune looked up and behind him, at the burly teen surrounded by his team. They were grinning, as if their leader just told some hilarious joke.

"Listen pal, I'm in a really good mood today, so be a bro and leave."

Cardin scowled and stomped towards the blond boy.

"Don't you fucking dare to call me 'bro' or 'pal'. Don't even speak to me. You disgusting piece of shit. You think you're some hot shit because you got on a good team? Well, guess what, you're not. I have no idea why Ozpin is giving you so much special treatment, or why he even let you in in the first place, but by now everyone knows you are just a coward, and a failure."

Jaune chose to ignore him. For reasons unknown to him, Cardin seemed to hate him even more ever since he had returned from Spring Valley. So far ignoring him proved to be a good enough tactic - besides the occasional insults, and harmless pranks, team CRDL left him alone.

Though the way they smirked every time they left made Jaune a little nervous. He was almost certain that the four of them were plotting something, but what could it be? He had no idea.

"Them again? What did they want this time?"

Jaune shrugged.

"The usual. Threw some jabs and walked away, pleased with themselves." He said, handing a bottle of water to his partner.

Pyrrha accepted it gratefully and took a few deep gulps.

"I know you said it's best to ignore them, but don't you think we should do something before this escalates?" She asked.

Jaune just shrugged.

"Not much we can do, beside luring them some deserted place, and beating the hell out of them."

Pyrrha chuckled.

"I bet Nora would love that."

"Yeah. But I have a feeling she wouldn't be the only one."

"Oh?"

Jaune smirked.

"I saw you glaring daggers at them more than a few times. And I saw some of those... 'friendly spars' you challenged them to." He shook his head. "I never thought I would say this, but I almost felt sorry for them."

It was Pyrrha's turn to smirk.

"Almost?"

Jaune chuckled.

"Almost. It was too entertaining to watch. Plus, they are assholes, so they deserve any beating they get."

Pyrrha hummed in agreement, and settled next to him. Jaune spared a glance at his partner. She just finished sparring with some third year, a match she won by ring-out. The fight didn't last long, but the light sheen of sweet on her skin proved it was not an easy win. Despite the rather large crowd surrounding them, most of whom only now stopped chanting her name, she wore a small, satisfied smile. He was glad she didn't seem as bothered by all attention she was getting, even though he wasn't sure what caused this.

They were sitting under a big tree near a strange structure that could be amphitheater, or some kind of open-air arena. Jaune wasn't sure which one it was, or why they didn't just use one of Beacon's training rooms. At first, he thought it was to avoid crowds - it wasn't uncommon for people to hunt them down and ask for a spar with Pyrrha.

But not long after they arrived, more people started to show up. Some of them trained by themselves, some challenged others to duels, a few seemed content to just watch the action. At some point, Nora and Ruby took command of the crowd, ordering them through different exercises. Judging by the fact everyone did what they said without any complaints, it appeared it wasn't the first time it had happened.

Right now, his hyperactive teammate stood in the center of the arena, surrounded by around thirty people. She was explaining something, waving her arms around wildly. Ruby was doing the same thing, a bit further away. After a few moments, the crowd split into two teams, some of people from audience joining in.

Jaune chuckled, and then closed his eyes, leaning on the trunk behind him. Normally he would be all too happy to join the wild melee that just started, but this time he restrained himself. He was mostly fine, the poison from Spring Valley didn't leave any serious after effects. At first, he had trouble with concentration, sometimes he felt disoriented, or forgot where he was, or what he was doing. One time he spaced out during a spar with Nora, and caught a hammer straight to the face. After that, they unanimously decided that he would not be fighting until doctors said he was ok.

Well, he certainly  _felt_  fine - he hadn't spaced out for two days now, and his last nausea attack happened yesterday morning, and was rather weak. But there was no point in taking needless risk. He would get his check up today, and see what the doctors had to say. If they decided he needed more rest, he would. If not - well, he was sure his team would be more than happy to help him catch up on his training.

 _Speaking of which,_  he thought checking his scroll. He had only forty minutes until his check up. Unfortunately, for some reason he had to travel all the way to Vale's main hospital.

_Oh well, no point in complaining._

He got up and stretched.

"Going to the hospital?" Asked Pyrrha.

"Yeah. Still have some time, but maybe if I get there earlier, I'll get finished faster too."

"Want me to go with you?"

"If you want. Not that I need an escort, I'm pretty sure I can get there without any trouble."

"Well… I wouldn't be so sure. Given your track record…" Pyrrha stood up beside him, stretching.

"Oh, quit it already, will you?" He pouted, earning a laugh from his partner. Ever since Spring Valley Pyrrha seemed determined to keep and eye on him. Considering the fact he had nightmares almost every night, and the fact he once got lost on the way to the cafeteria, he couldn't really blame her. And it's not like her company was unpleasant. Quite the opposite.

He spared one last glance at the arena, where the melee was now in full swing. Nora stood in the middle of it, her hammer in constant motion, a maniacal grin on her face. He could see Ren there too, the green ninja was popping in and out of sight, striking fast and strong. He never stayed in one place for too long, instead choosing to disorient the opposite team with hit and run tactics.

Jaune smiled. He really was blessed with a wonderful team. They all could really take care of themselves - but even though it was better than them being incompetent there was a danger here too.

If they were taking so good care of themselves, it would be easy for him to neglect his duties as team leader. As he had been doing for the last four weeks.

 _No more._ He decided turning around, towards Beacon.  _Starting Monday, I'm focusing on becoming a team leader befitting the best team in Beacon._

He smiled to himself. He could almost hear Ruby yelling 'second best!'

* * *

Cardin sighed, watching the pair of fellow students walk towards Beacon. Why Pyrrha Nikos, probably the best fighter of their generation, was so attached to this blond wimp, he couldn't comprehend. It wouldn't be hard to find someone more fitting her than her so called 'team leader.' Literally anyone else at Beacon would fit the bill.

"Hey Cardin, I've got something interesting."

The burly teen looked at his teammate and raised an eyebrow.

Sky Lark looked up from his scroll and grinned.

"So, this guy owes me a favor, right?. And he apparently knows a few information brokers in Vale, so I asked him to get us some intel on Jaune. And guess what? Our blond friend failed to get into combat prep school. And there is no record of him trying to get in again."

Cardin grinned. It was interesting information, to be sure. Not something that they could use to get annoying wuss expelled, but maybe it was enough to make his life just a tad bit harder. After all, if someone  _accidentally_  mentioned it somewhere public, like for example the cafeteria, rumors would spread.

And then people would start asking questions. Like for example - how someone without any proper education got into a prestigious school such as Beacon?

"Good job. We can definitely use this."

"How?" Asked Dove, "just because he didn't go to combat prep school, doesn't mean he can't fight. I mean, that Ren guy didn't go to one, and look at him." He said pointing at the arena, where said green clad boy was fighting, holding off three people on his own. He wasn't winning - in fact he was slowly being pushed back, but it soon turned out to be a trap, when a pink girl with a massive hammer jumped in seemingly out of nowhere, earning three-man ring out with a single swing.

Cardin, and probably everyone else watching, winced. By now everyone knew the power behind Nora's swings.

"It doesn't matter if he can or can't fight." He said, letting out a breath of relief when all three people managed to get up. "All that matters is what people will believe. Give them a rumor, and they will blow it out of proportion. It might be nothing, but if he becomes the target of everyone - at very least he will be in a bad time. And at best… " he grinned viciously "The little whiny bitch will leave Beacon on his own."

His team snickered, applauding his great idea. Cardin smirked. One way or another, he would cleanse this school of that failure's presence.

* * *

"How did it go?"

Jaune turned to Pyrrha and smiled.

"Good. They say I'm pretty much fine - there is no sign of the poison left in my body. I can start training, but they said I shouldn't push myself too hard just yet, just to be safe."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded.

It was nice, he decided. He liked his wandering life, and after four years he seriously couldn't imagine himself sitting in one place for too long. And becoming student? At school?

No way. It sounded so... dull.

But so far, Beacon proved to be anything but dull.

 _Well, it might be because I don't exactly act like a normal student._ He chuckled to himself. They left the hospital, and seeing that the weather was nice and they were not in a hurry, decide to take a walk.

"So, what are you planning to do about them?" Pyrrha asked suddenly, after a few minutes of silence.

"About whom?"

"Cardin and his cronies. I know you said it's best to ignore them, but to be honest, I don't think he will stop. He seems to interpret it as you showing weakness."

Jaune hummed. Pyrrha made good point. He was hoping that Cardin would get bored if he didn't get a reaction from him, but his tactic seemed to have the opposite effect. Sooner or later, he would have to take action, and resolve the situation - before it escalated.

"Well, I think part of the problem is that he's never seen me fight. Since my recovery leave is finally over, I guess I'll just ask Miss Goodwitch to let us fight in her class. If I kick his ass in front of the whole year, he might calm down."

Pyrrha chuckled.

"Aren't we confident? You sure you can handle him?" She asked teasingly.

Jaune just snorted.

"Pyrrha, please. I know I might not be the best fighter out there, but come on. It's Cardin."

She giggled, covering her mouth with one hand. Jaune shook his head - and then an idea struck him.

"Hey, Pyrrha, want to grab something to eat? My treat."

She tilted her head, a small smile on her lips.

"Oh? What's the occasion?"

He shrugged.

"Nothing in particular. I just figured that we could hang out for a bit, seeing as there is no Nora around to spread chaos, or crazed fans to chase us around. "

Pyrrha glared at him, but her smile took all the edge out of it.

"Don't speak about them. They will hear you."

He chuckled, but looked around just to make sure. There were a few people looking at them - but it might be because they were armed. He did catch a few boys staring at Pyrrha a bit too long, and too intense for his liking.

 _Well, can't really blame them._ He thought, stealing a glance at his partner. She looked really good in Beacon uniform. It didn't revealed much, but certainly…

"Oh my, what do we have here. Two lovebirds on a secret date?"

Jaune and Pyrrha sighed in unison, looked at each other in surprise and chuckled.

"Hey, that's kind of rude, you know?"

"Sorry Yang. And no we are not on date. I had my check up, and Pyrrha offered to accompany me." Jaune said, turning around.

Sure enough, not two meters behind them, stood one Yang Xiao Long, her team a few paces behind the blonde brawler.

"Really? You hear that, Weiss? Pyrrha is making a move on your boy-toy. Shouldn't you be doing something about it? Or are you ok with sharing?"

Jaune groaned, hiding his face in his hands, while Weiss let out a tired sigh.

"I won't dignify that statement with an answer." She stated coldly.

"And I'm pretty sure I just said we are  _not_ on a date." Jaune added.

Yang just shook her head.

"Ah, young love. So pure, so naive…"

"Leaving the barbarian, and her delusions, aside, how did your visit go Jaune? Are there any complications?" The heiress asked, completely ignoring the annoyed 'hey!' from the blonde brawler.

"Nah, I'm all good. They said that I should take it easy for a few more days, but other than that, I'm good to go."

The heiress nodded, a small smile on her lips.

"I'm happy to hear that…" She walked closer and placed one hand on his shoulder.

"Because this means we can spar, right? I think I really need a fresh opponent to fight against, been sparring against my team too much lately."

"Well, now that you mention it…"

The grip on his shoulder tightened.

"We will spar. Today."

Was it just him, or did the temperature dropped a few degrees?

"I don't think…"

Yep, the temperature was dropping. He could swear he saw a few snowflakes falling around the heiress.

"We. Will. Spar."

Jaune gulped. Weiss was looking at him intently, lips drawn in a thin line, eyes slightly narrowed.. He knew this expression, and what it heralded. With a resigned sigh, and hung head, he let out a grunt of affirmation.

The grip on his arm tightened even further.

"What was that?"

"Yes ma'am, we will spar."

Weiss smiled brightly and nodded.

"Good boy." She said patting his cheek.

"Wow." Yang whistled. " I could hear the crack of that whip loud and clear."

Her lips stretched into a very wolfish grin.

"Say.."

"So, where were you guys going? We planned on doing some shopping." Yang glared at her younger sister for interrupting her. But since the younger Huntress choose to completely ignore her, she shrugged. Oh well, she would tease Weiss later.

"Yeah, wanna join us? It'll be fun." She said instead, totally not smirking at the blond and oblivious boy.

She could see Weiss opening her mouth, no doubt to protest. But to her surprise, the heiress cupped her chin in one hand, and then nodded.

"Why not. What do you say Pyrrha? Want to join us? We can have Jaune help us pick stuff."

Yang shook her head. Damn, Weiss must be really angry at him, to so openly drag the poor guy into such a mess.

But why did this small smirk the heiress sent her way send shivers down her spine?

* * *

Yang's back hit the wall, eyes trailing after her fellow blondie.

"What… is happening?" Asked Blake.

Good question. Yang would love to know answer to that as well.

"Ok, try those. And this. And…" Jaune paused, giving the skirt he held a long, contemplative look. Then his gaze ventured to his partner, giving her a once over.

"No, I don't think this one will look good on you." He threw the piece of clothing to the side, and dashed back into the row of racks.

Pyrrha stared at the small pile of clothing her partner put in her hands with a conflicted expression.

Yang shook her head.

"This is insane. No man should be this good with fashion. This…" She paused when the blond boy materialized in front of her, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Ok, Yang you  _have_  to try this jacket, it was basically made for you!"

She didn't have time to say anything, as said jacket was pushed into her hands, Jaune gone in an instant.

With a sigh she got up, put it on and looked herself over in a nearby mirror. She looked good. Really good.

"Hey try this one." A pair of fingerless gloves, sunglasses and belt were pushed into her hands, along with some shorts and a shirt. She considered them for a few seconds then just shrugged and put it all in her bag. It was almost full by now, and so far every piece of clothing Jaune picked was a perfect match.

"Ok, seriously, I think there are a few important thing we need to address. Like for example - how is Mr. Noodle Knight so good at picking out clothes for girls? And how can he guess ou…"

"Hey Blake, try this out!" Asked a very excited blond. He was so proud of himself, that Yang had a sudden urge to pat him.

The black haired girl on the other hand, looked very uncertain. She carefully picked up whatever Jaune brought her, and stretched it out in front of her.

It was a dress. Sleeveless, long, and black, with one side cut off from bottom to above waist height.

Blake blushed a little.

"I don't think…" she began, but paused when Jaune tore the dress form her hands.

"Yeah, you are right, it's not you. Wait a moment, I think I saw something that will fit over there." He was gone moments later, leaving a very confused girl behind. He appeared moments later, carrying a bundle of clothing in one hand, the other grabbing Blake's shoulder and dragging her towards the changing rooms.

"Ok, this one will be good, I'm sure of it. Picked a few casual things for you on the way, I'm sure you will like them." He showed the stunned girl in the changing room,and turned around, a bright smile on his lips.

"Ruby!"

The young Huntress froze, letting out a startled yelp. She glanced towards the exit, wondering if she should use her Semblance to run away. This moment of hesitation cost her, when Jaune's hand landed on her shoulder.

"I picked something for you too." He handed her a small bundle of clothing, and disappeared among the racks again.

Ruby stared at it for a few seconds, then, with a resigned sigh, went to try it on.

"This is ridiculous." Yang shook her head, watching her sister disappear behind the doors. "This…"

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. We just bought some clothing." Weiss called out from over her scroll. "Nothing to make a fuss about."

Yang glared at the heiress. She didn't even bothered to conceal her smirk.

"You knew." She said accusingly.

The heiress just a raised single eyebrow.

"What could you possibly be talking about?"

"You know full well what I'm talking about!"

"I'm afraid…" she began, but Yang had none of it. She stomped towards heiress, and grabbed her by the collar.

"We dragged Jaune to clothing store to make him suffer and squirm! I specifically picked the one that had both clothes  _and_  lingerie on display. He should be flustered! He should be blushing,and stuttering, and be a perfect teasing target! He shouldn't act like this was what he's done his whole life!" She paused when said blond ran over to his partner, handing her another bundle of clothes. Then he ran to the heiress, handing her something.

Weiss thanked him, and put whatever it was on top of the small pile next to her. She didn't even bothered trying it on. She looked up on her teammate and smiled.

"You don't know half of it."

"Maybe, but for now I want to know only one thing - HOW?!"

"How, what?" Asked a masculine voice.

Yang took a deep breath, turned around, and stomped towards Jaune. One hand grabbed his collar, the other pointed towards her shopping bag.

"This. Explain. Now."

She wasn't sure what to think when Jaune seemed to instantly knew what she talked about. He even chuckled, bastard.

"Seven sisters." He answered with an easy smile.

Yang blinked, and let him go.

_Ok, that is pretty good explanation._

"So, now that everyone has something, how about we go and grab something to eat?" He asked when Blake, Ruby and Pyrrha joined them.

"That sounds good." Pyrrha said, with a small smile.

The cafe they went to was small, but nice. They placed their orders and, after receiving permission from the owner, sat at two tables they pulled together.

"I must say, you surprised me Jaune-boy." Yang said, taking a sip of her coffee. "You sure you don't want to open a clothing store? With that sort of skill, you would make a fortune."

The blond boy laughed.

"Believe it or not, but I received several employment offers when I was in Atlas. But no, I'm pretty sure I prefer being a Hunter."

"And Witcher?" Blake added form over her book. Where did she hide that thing anyway? Yang could have swore she didn't have it just a few moments before.

Jaune shrugged.

"Honestly, there is no difference. A Witcher is just more… I guess you could say 'specialized' Hunter."

"I guess. But honestly that was impressive. I never thought someone could guess the measurements of five girls with a single glance." Yang's eyes narrowed. "Because you were guessing, right? It's not like you knew it beforehand?"

"Yang! Stop being mean!" Ruby whined.

"Nah, it's good. And yes, I did guess them."

"So, any more special skills you're hiding?"

"Well.." he trailed off. "I can do hair. And I'm a good dancer, very good cook, and an amazing herbalist. Oh, and I was told I'm rather skilled when it comes to massages."

Once upon a time, he might have included sewing in that list, but not anymore. He learned his lesson, thank you very much. Though, with the way four out of five girls gaped at him - Weiss already knowing all of this, mostly because she experienced it first-hand - they were impressed nonetheless.

"Massages you say?." Yang purred, leaning on the table, giving him a smirk, and a very generous view on her cleavage.

"Mind giving me a private session?"

Jaune chuckled and looked to the side, a faint hint of red on his cheek.

Yang leaned back and laughed.

"Oh man, you are too easy. You need to relax, if you keep blushing like that you might end up becoming a wizard."

"That's a lot of assumptions you are making there Yang."

All eyes focused on heiress, who just calmly sipped her tea.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked, uncertain what Weiss meant.

The white haired girl smiled at her form over her cup.

"Jaune is actually quite worldly."

"... what?"

"Well, I did travel all around Remnant for four years. We visited quite a few places. And people in frontier villages tend to be more… open minded. If you know what I'm talking about." He said with a chuckle.

Yang looked between two of them, something akin to panic in her eyes.

"Wait, are you two seriously implying that Jaune did… the thing?" She asked.

"You mean sex?" Asked Weiss calmly

"Yes," she hissed, shooting a worried glance to Ruby.

"Well, think about it - I spent four years in the Wilds. I fought Grimm, bandits, corrupted police and bakers. Is it really so hard to believe one of girls I saved decided to show her gratitude in more than just words?"

She opened her mouth to retort, but clicked it shut. If half.. Scratch that, if a third, or even fourth of the stories her uncle Qrow told were true, it wasn't that uncommon for a traveling Hunter to get a fair bit of attention from village girls. Well, not only from village ones - just about any civilian girl dreamed of having a dashing Hunter as her boyfriend.

But then again it was Jaune. It simply couldn't be.

"You're bluffing." She challenged, but with a lot less certainty than she would like.

Weiss chuckled, and put her cup down.

"Well, I too am not sure Jaune any… encounters during his travels. It's something taken straight out of some romance novel after all…" Yang let out a sigh of relief. Yeah, there was no way…

"... But our late night...  _sparrings…_  sometimes got very… intense."

She choked on her drink, staring at the heiress in utter shock. She wasn't the only one.

Jaune's chuckle made it even worse.

"Yeah, can't argue with that. Good thing those training rooms were soundproof." He paused, a broad smile on his lips.

"But I had to order more padding. You were far too rough sometimes." Weiss said with a pout.

Jaune laughed.

"Hey, it was you who always demanded I don't hold back. How could I deny such a request from lady? Especially in that kind of situation." He said with a wink.

Weiss chuckled. Then her eyes narrowed.

"True. But you held back from time to time. Don't think I didn't notice."

The blond boy held up his hand.

"Guilty as charged. But hey, in my defense - you liked to it when you could finish on top from time to time."

"Excuse me? I was always on top." She smirked at him. " Without a table to throw me onto, your pitiful skills were no match for mine."

"At first, sure. But you never lasted long in that position. Face it princess, in the long run stamina is king."

She sighed.

"And I can't deny you had absurd amount of it."

Jaune laughed.

"Yeah, but it was never easy." He looked the heiress in the eyes, half smiling. "But I must admit, you never cease to surprise me. Some of the ideas you had…" he shook his head.

"Please. None of what I came up with come close to you. Attacking me like that in the gardens? In broad daylight?" She looked to the side shyly. "What if someone had seen…?"

Jaune shrugged.

"First of all, you asked for it. Second - I made sure the coast was clear. Wouldn't do for our fun to be interrupted." He shook his head. "Those were fun times."

"They were." She hummed, looking at blond intensely, then she licked her lips. "And I've been missing them. Ever since Beacon started, I was waiting for you to invite me for some one on one action, but you never did. Forcing a girl to be the one asking? How rude." She pouted again.

Jaune smirked.

"Don't be like that Weiss. You love to be the one in control. And I already agreed to spar, didn't I? We can do it just like old times. Meet up around midnight, take some unused training room, and go for it until we're out of breath." He grinned, leaning on the table. "Or would you prefer to do it in the gardens?"

"Oh my, aren't we bold, Mr. Arc? Making such propositions to a lady? I think it deserves punishment. One that I will administer personally."

Two hands slammed on the table followed shortly by a high pitched voice.

"Ok, time out. Stop this at once!"

Jaune and Weiss stared each other in the eyes for a few more moments, then both of them looked at a fuming Yang.

"Oh, my. Did something happen?" Jaune asked innocently.

"She looks flustered. Don't tell me it is because of us planning our fun time?"

Yang tried to answer, but no words come out of her mouth.

Weiss blinked, surprised. Then grinned.

"Oh, my. What a surprise. The great Yang Xiao Long, always so confident, always ready to tease others. But shocked by this? It almost as if you didn't have any experience in the matter."

Yang blushed.

Weiss grinned even harder.

"Really? Oh my, apologies. We thought we were in more… advanced company. We didn't intended to make you feel… inexperienced. I'm sure you can do it if you just try a bit harder. Right, Jaune?"

"Sure. I don't see why not."

"In fact, you could join us tonight. I'm certain Jaune wouldn't mind, right?"

Yang blinked. "Wha…"

Jaune laughed.

"Of course. I'm always ready to help a friend."

"Wait, what?" Yang repeated, panic evident in her voice.

"And don't worry about him running out of…  _steam_ halfway through." Weiss purred. "He has lots of stamina."

The blond boy rubbed back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, after the training you and your sister put me through? I think I can handle you and Yang. But.." he looked blond girl over with concern. "Don't you think it might be too much for her? I mean, we took it slowly at first too. I think it was over two weeks before we asked Winter to join us."

The blond brawler was starting to hyperventilate.

"You are right" Weiss hummed, tapping her lips with her index finger. Then she looked up at her teammate, and smiled. "What do you say, Yang? You ok with all of us going at it? Or do you want Jaune to ease you into it?"

"What…" said girl stammered, looking at Weiss in shock.

"Or maybe…" the heiress drawled,getting up and slowly walking to wide-eyed Yang. One slender arm wrapped around her shoulders, Weiss leaning so close that her lips almost touched Yang's ear "...you would prefer it to be me?" She whispered.

The blonde brawler yelped, and jumped back. Her leg caught her chair,and she fell over, eyes wide in panic.

"You are bluffing." She said, pointing a finger accusingly at the heiress. "You are just messing with me! Both of you!"

Weiss smirked.

"Only if you ask nicely."

Yang looked like she was about to explode.

"Wait." Everyone looked to Ruby, who sat there, her arms crossed, and an expression of intense focus on her face.

"I get the Grimm, and bandits, that's normal. Corrupt Police officers? Sure, it's cool and all. But bakers?"

"What?" asked Blake. She - as everyone else - had a little trouble understanding what she was talking about. Not after what they just saw, and heard.

"Jaune said he was fighting Grimm, bandits, Corrupted Police -and bakers! What do bakers have to do with the others? They are making cookies! They can't be bad!"

Jaune chuckled.

"It's a long story. And a crazy one."

"Well…" Yang got up,and sat on her chair, one elbow on the table, and head resting in the open palm.. "We have time, so, unless it's some secret, I think we would like to hear it."

"You sure about this? It's  _really_  crazy story."

"Can't be worse than what we already learned." Said Blake

Jaune shrugged and started talking.

An hour and a half alter, Blake had to admit she was wrong.

It was definitely craziest thing she'd ever heard.

* * *

"I hate you." Said Yang for the hundredth time, her arms crossed under her breasts, a fierce pout on her face.

"Hey, you brought it upon yourself." Jaune defended for the hundredth time.

"I still hate you."

"Yeah, you did mention it."

"Because I really hate you."

Jaune shook his head, and looked over bullhead they were riding in. It was almost empty, save for three or four other students that didn't pay much attention to them. He looked back to Yang, who tried to glare at him,and not look at him at the same time, with predictable results.

"Just drop it Yang. You lost at your own game - time to accept it." Said Weiss, not even looking up from her scroll.

"I hate you too. And you. I hate all of you."

After Jaune's tale of how he and Leon brought end to baker gangs war in a particular town - and it's better if you don't ask - they continued to talk for three more hours. For the most part, Yang tried to force Jaune to admit he was in fact still a virgin. Eventually he did so, but it was after nearly an hour of them teasing the blonde brawler.

What? They had to get revenge for all the puns somehow.

They decided to get back when Ruby mentioned some event would be starting soon. It got all the girls strangely excited. Jaune himself had no idea what it was about - but as Ruby explained, it was something that was planned out last Friday - so right after he went off to fight a horde of monsters.

Talk about unfair.

Surprisingly, none of girls wanted to share any details, saying that 'he would see for himself soon enough.' The only thing he learned was that Nora was somehow involved in it - and that did worry him a bit.

But honestly, how bad could it be?

* * *

Very bad, as it turned out about three hours later. It was nearly ten, long since sunset, and also technical post curfew.

Though none of the almost two hundred masked, and cloaked figures gathered at this amphitheater/arena thing his team showed him earlier seemed to care. Jaune could feel the atmosphere of excitement, but more than that, he felt confused.

"So… a little context for all of this?"

Ren, who also wore an ornate mask - and where he got it was a question for another time - sighed.

"You want the short or long version?"

Jaune hummed, thinking it over.

"Hit me with the long." He had a feeling that short would make it even more confusing.

"So, you know how Pyrrha has anxiety about being the center of attention?"

"Yeah."

"So she pretends it doesn't bother her anymore, but we could tell it wasn't the case. Especially when some pricks started picking on her, calling her fraud and cheater, that didn't helped."

Jaune tensed. Someone was picking on his team? Unforgivable.

"What happened to them?"

"They were dealt with." There was a strange… finality in the way Ren said this. Jaune couldn't see his teammate's face because of mask, but he had a strange feeling the other boy was smirking.

"Okay…But I would like some details later. For now, let's get back on topic."

"So, after we dealt with these guys, Nora figured that Pyrrha should wear a mask when fighting."

"What?"

"A mask. She read some book… "Mask We Wear", or something like that. Quite an interesting read I must say. It was about something called 'theory of masks.' The gist of it is that, in author's opinion, we all wear metaphorical mask, that determine our behavior. And that hiding our face behind an actual mask can help someone deal with anxiety, or find their 'true self,' since they are less afraid of public opinion."

"Okay... " Jaune started slowly, scanning the crowd again. "That would explain the masks. But I still don't see how Nora trying to help Pyrrha get over her anxiety lead to this." He gestured towards the crowd for emphasis. "What exactly happened?"

Ren just sighed.

"Nora happened. Pyrrha agreed to try it, probably only because Nora already got her mask - and I must say it was a good piece of artwork, not some cheap crap - and she would have felt sorry for her otherwise. We had a bit fun with it, Nora got maks for herself and me. Then Team RWBY spotted us, and jumped in on the fun." Ren paused for a moment. "Well, Yang and Ruby jumped in. Weiss and Blake were kinda dragged in."

Jaune chuckled. Yeah, he could see that.

"I doubt they will admit it, but they looked to enjoy it too. A few more people saw us, and asked if they could join in. Nora agreed, but only if they wore masks. The next day there were like forty people, all with masks, waiting in the training room we used last time. Someone, probably from the older years, mentioned they now better place for this than a cramped training room. They lead us here, and then…"

Ren shrugged.

"It escalated."

"It escalated?"

"Yeah. Nora organized the next… 'sparring session' last wednesday, after we made sure you were all right. Around eighty people showed up, all with masks. That was when Nora demanded everyone should have cloaks too. The next day, she started giving out strange nicknames to everyone. And it kinda kept escalating from there."

Any further questions from Jaune were cut short, when the sound of drums sounded. This seemed to get the crowd even more excited. Some people started shouting something, but Jaune couldn't make out what.

A few moments passed, and the sound of drums got closer. Jaune could see some flickering lights in the direction that the song was coming from.

 _Are those... torches?_ He thought, confusion growing. It was soon replaced by surprise and shock when a group of at least fifty people marched into the gathering. Some of them carried torches, some played on drums. And in the middle of it, four burly men - all in masks of course - carried a platform with a giant throne on it.

_What…._

"Syrup for the Syrup Queen!" One of figures at the head of the collum shouted.

"SYRUP FOR THE SYRUP QUEEN!" The crowd answered.

_The…_

The Column moved closer, and Jaune could just barely make out the figure sitting on the throne. Her - because it was definitely a woman - had the most impressive mask of all. It covered her whole head, and was decorated with multiple feathers and even something that looked to be gemstones.

Even if he didn't recognized her by her clothing, the massive warhammer the figure held was hint enough to guess who it was.

"Pancakes for the Pancake Throne!" The figure shouted again.

"PANCAKES FOR THE PANCAKE THRONE!" The crowd answered again.

_...FUCK?!_

Jaune stared blankly at scene in front of him. He wasn't sure what was more shocking - the crowd wearing masks, the ridiculous words they were chanting, the fact some people were actually throwing pancakes towards the throne, that the person at the head of procession was apparently Weiss, wearing some… interesting outfit, or maybe his own Partner, wearing a golden, ornate mask, and a set of armor that kinda resembles her own, but at the same time was far more ornate, standing next to Nora's throne.

He squinted his eyes, trying to see some more details. There was something wrong with it.

What become clear when procession moved closer to him. Jaune actually whistled, impressed. For two reasons.

First - the throne was made from actual pancakes. There had to be hundreds, if not thousands of them used for this purpose.

Second, was that it survived more than a few seconds in such close proximity to Nora.

The procession finally stopped in the center of the arena. Nora raised her hammer, and all chanting stopped.

"Welcome, my loyal subjects, to this glorious Arena. Today, yet again you will have the chance to spill sweet, blood and tears for my amusement. And Pancakes."

The crowd roared its approval. Jaune could only gape in shock.

"Let's not waste anymore time. For the glory of the Pancake Throne!"

The crowd roared even louder.

"SYRUP FOR THE SYRUP QUEEN! PANCAKES FOR THE PANCAKE THRONE!" They started chanting again, when four men picked up the platform with throne again, and carried it away to a podium towering over arena. Jaune could have swear it wasn't there when he came earlier in the day.

 _What the actual fuck!?_ He screamed in his mind.

* * *

**Well here it is. Poor Jaune, from poison-induced madness, straight into a Nora-induced one. And there is no escape.**

**Oh, right, the omake. For those who wondered how the people Ren mentioned were 'dealt with.'**

* * *

Pyrrha sighed, looking over the abandoned warehouse. Why did it always have to be an abandoned warehouse? Couldn't they ask her to come to some nice restaurant instead?

With another sigh, she walked forward to the rusty doors. They opened easily, and soon enough Pyrrha entered a dimly lit room filled with six teens.

"Holy shit, she really came!" One of them exclaimed. He was so surprised that he spilled a bit of beer from the bottle he was holding, earning annoyed grunts from some of his companions.

"Told you so." Said another one. He was tall, and well built. Black hair was slicked back and reinforced with far more gel than was reasonable. He wore an expensive looking suit, golden necklace, and a few rings.

 _Probably the leader._ he thought, walking closer.

"It so nice you decided to visit us Pyr. I can call you Pyr, right?"

She didn't answer, instead scanning her surroundings. None of the people in the room seemed to be armed. Well, she saw one or two baseball bats, and one of them was playing with a knife, but come on. She was a Huntress - what they held were mere toys in her eyes.

"What do you want?" She asked, even thought she had a pretty good idea.

The teen grinned, apparently happy he was in control.

"Nothing much. Just for us to have some fun. Come, sit here," He said, patting box next to him. "We'll drink beer or two, have a nice chat. Maybe dance a bit. I'm pretty good dancer, I'll have you know. And even better at more... horizontal dances, if you catch my meaning."

Pyrrha did, and had to fight to not scowl.

"I'm afraid that won't be happening. Not only do I need to go back to Beacon soon, I'm not old enough to legally drink."

"No one asked you for your opinion, bitch!" Someone snapped. He was young, probably the same age as her. Tall, but very thin, had multiple tattoos and a bald head. He made to march towards Pyrrha, but was stopped by leader of this small pseudo-gang.

Pyrrha decided to dub him Gel-hair.

"Now, now, let's keep this discussion civilized. I'm sure Pyr will make a reasonable choice." He smiled to her,and she had to fight really hard to not punch him in the face.

"Afterall, we wouldn't want for people to learn that great Pyrrha Nikos is a simple cheater." He finished, earning a series of chuckles from his cronies.

Pyrrha sighed, shaking her head.

"We both know that's not true. Whatever proof you have to back the claim is fabricated - if you have any proof at all."

Gel-hair chuckled again.

"And we both know it doesn't matter. People love gossip, and sensation. No one will look too far into it, they will eat you alive. All I want in exchange of keeping it secret is a bit of fun time. Not a bad deal, don't you agree?"

Pyrrha looked over the room again, just to make sure there was no one hiding anywhere.

"You know what?" She asked looking straight into eyes of teen in front of her. She gave him her best smile, and just as he smiled back, she finished. "You really are an idiot."

The whole room stilled for a few seconds.

"What did you just call me, bitch?!" Gel-hair roared.

_So much for civilized discussion._

"You really think this would work? You think I don't have people to deal with such things? If you tried to make any such accusations without solid proof, my advocate would eat  _you_ alive. And don't even get me started on my sponsors. Ruining my reputation would hit them too, and they wouldn't like it."

She took a moment to admire the shocked expression of all six boys.

"Seriously, did you thought you was first one to get this idea? Back in Mistral people tried to blackmail me like that all the time." She shook her head.

"But I must say it's first time meeting such idiots. It's the only reason I came - to see if you really would be stupid enough to show up."

"Stop acting all high and…!" Gel-hair started shouting, but stopped when she placed a finger on his lips.

"Shhh. No talking. Just listening. Really, what were you thinking? Are any of you Hunters?" She called out so everyone would hear her. Nervous shuffling was answer enough.

"And yet you called me out here, to this abandoned building, in this abandoned area. And you didn't bring any weapons with you. Did you seriously think, even form a moment, that I just submit to whatever you say, instead of kicking all of your asses?"

They all grouped together, suddenly very aware that they are alone, in an abandoned warehouse, with a world-wide known Huntress champion that they just tried to blackmail.

Pyrrha grinned even further.

"Normally I would leave you with just a warning, but you are out of luck today. You see, I have a lot of pent up stress to release. And.." the door, and most of front wall exploded, revealing a grinning Nora and smirking Ren." My team overheard, and they decided to join in for some fun. So…" Milo and Akouo appeared in her hands. " Let's dance!"

* * *

**Moral of the story - don't mess with Pyrrha. Especially when she is stressed out.**


	25. The Masquerade

**Welcome to Ch 24 of TPA where madness will continue.**

* * *

Jaune felt conflicted. On the one hand, after watching several fights, he had to admit this whole deal wasn't  _just_  pure craziness. Nora, or Syrup Queen, wasn't just watching fights - she often gave challenges, like fighting only in melee, or ordered Weiss - aka Ice Angel - to use her ice Dust to change scenery of arena a bit.

There were a few group fights as well. Sometimes it was two vs two, sometimes more. She would mix combatants too, forcing people from different teams, or even different years to work together.

Jaune had to admit, it looked not only fun, but also educational. That's why, when Ren said Ozpin not only knew about all of this, but approved, and supported, Jaune didn't feel  _too_  conflicted, though he still refused to acknowledge the tall figure covered in a green cloak with a clockwork theme sewn on it, and a very familiar cane. He wore a white porcelain mask with a painted wide smile and a small, black mustache and beard.

It was one thing to approve, but to take part in this madness?

_And to think i worked for this guy..._

On the other hand though, this was something Nora not only came up with, but was in charge of. This basically guaranteed that something crazy would happen. If the fact that there were nearly two hundred masked, and cloaked figures apparently fighting 'for the glory of the Pancake Throne' wasn't crazy enough.

Jaune sighed, and focused back on the arena. A group of five students - one third, two second, and two first years were valiantly defending a small ice 'castle' made by Weiss, for the past ten minutes or so. Their opponents were group of ten first years - all from different teams.

The defenders were doing good, considering the difference in numbers, but both first years, and one of the second years were already eliminated. It looked like the defenders would fall with next assault, but Nora got up, raising her hammer high. The combatants stopped, and focused on her.

"I'm pleased." She announced after a few moments of contemplation. "Both sides fought well, and thine bravery brings honour to the Pancake Throne. Those that have fallen, may rise again." The crowd cheered, and both teams left the arena, chatting and laughing..

Nora allowed this for a few moments, then slammed Manghild on the platform she stood at, silencing the crowd.

"You have fought well, my brave warriors. Your Queen is pleased. But verily, the next event is nigh. Initiations!"

The crowd roared their approval, and several people were pushed into the arena - Jaune among them. And by the looks of it - he was the only one who wasn't too thrilled about it.

"Welcome, brave souls, to this, the most glorious of arenas. Tonight, you shall have the chance to prove yourself in front of your Queen! Fight well, fight with honor, and ye shall be rewarded. Disappoint me, and thee shall feel the full force of my wrath. Now, let us commence!"

The crowd roared again, clapping, stomping, and whistling.

"Syrup for the Syrup Queen!" Someone shouted.

"Pancakes for the Pancake Throne!" Someone else responded.

The crowd soon picked it up. Nora silenced them after a few moments and spoke.

"Normally, I would have one of my Champions test the mettle of these newcomers, but lo, this time is a bit different. One of the warriors not of our arena wishes to make a request."

She slammed half of her hammer on the wooden platform, sweeping one hand in front of her.

"Let's hear his plea!"

The crowd roared their approval. Nora smiled, watching three masked teens made their way to her. They stopped about two meters before her, and dropped to one knee.

"My Queen! I humbly request you allow me to test one of the Initiates myself!" Said the biggest of them, obviously the leader.

Nora nodded to herself, watching the people kneeling before her with vague interest.

"A bold request. Why would ye think ye can perform this holy task better than one of my Champions? Or maybe ye think yourself worthy of joining their ranks?"

Jaune could only facepalm.

_Nora, just quit the act already._

"No My Queen! I ask for this honor just this one time, for there is one among those initiates I believe is not worth standing in your presence! Of course, I understand how big of a request this is. That's why I prepared some offerings!"

At that, two of the teens behind him walked forward, and placed two sizable boxes in front of Nora. Jaune couldn't see their contents, but could hazard a guess.

"I see…"

Nora contemplated something for a few moments, then nodded.

"Very well." She rose from her throne and spread her arms wide."Iron Hunter! Youe plea has been heard. Its boldness amuses me, and thine offerings please me. Your wish will be granted!" The crowd roared, in appreciation of their merciful Queen.

Jaune groaned.

_This can't be happening. This is not happening. I feel like I end up in some cult._

"Thou may select one, and only one, from the initiates. However, ye have no right of Judgment. Such is reserved for my person, or one of my Champions." She sat back on her throne and slammed the haft on Manghild on the platform.

"Now go! Please your Queen!"

Jaune glared at his teammate - even though he was sure she couldn't see him.

_This is going to be such a pain in the ass…_

His eyes narrowed when this so-called Iron Hunter came closer. The guy looked familiar - the way he moved, his armor, and the hair he could see peeking from under the metal mask modeled after some comic superhero.

_Wait, is it Cardin?_

The teen stopped right in front of Jaune, and poked him in the chest.

"You." He snarled. "We will fight. And by 'we will fight,' I mean 'I'll kick your ass so hard you will fly out out Beacon, right into your mom's arms'. So prepare yourself, because Iron Hunter is going to bring some Iron Justice onto you!" He finished with a roar, brandishing his mace.

Jaune grinned.

 _Ok, I take it back._ He thought, drawing his sword and deploying his shield.  _This is going to be so much fun._

He took a deep breath, and let it go slowly. Cardin rolled his shoulders and made two lazy swings with his mace.

_Ok, think. What do I know about him? Besides the fact he is an asshole._

"I have been waiting for this moment Jaune-boy." Cardin said. Jaune couldn't see his face, but he was willing to bet money that the other teen was smirking.

_He is strong, but from what I've seen, not very fast. Very aggressive, will sometimes take a hit just so he can get clean one of his own._

"For a moment there, I thought you wouldn't come. That you would run away like the little coward that you are."

_He is proud. If angered he will rush in blindly. Solid Aura reserves, but not very mobile, so in this regard we are similar._

"But here you are, and that makes me happy." He bent his knees, grabbed his mace in both hands, and lifted it over one shoulder. "Because I finally get the chance to crush you!" He roared, and charged at blond hunter.

Jaune sidestepped, letting the larger teen run past him, watching his opponent form over the rim of his shield.

"What's wrong, Jaune boy? Scared? Too bad, it's already too late to run."

_That was slow… I think he is even slower than me. But that mace of his does pack a punch, better not take his attacks head on._

Cardin tried another charge, but Jaune sidestepped it as well. With a huff of annoyance, Cardin walked up to his opponent, delivering a powerful overhead blow. Jaune sidestepped it too, eyes narrowed.

_That was too telegraphed to be a regular attack. Is he trying to bait me?_

Cardin roared, and threw a wide, horizontal swing. Jaune jumped back, swatted another overhead blow with his shield and sidestepped a tackle.

_Ok, these baits are a bit too obvious. Does he really think I'll fall for it?_

"Come on Jaune. At least try to hit me. Here, I'll make it easier for you." He taunted, spreading his arm wide and walking slowly towards his opponent.

 _Is this guy for real?_ Jaune tensed, considering his options. Cardin was baiting him - it was obvious. All the strikes up until now were so telegraphed, he could see them coming from a mile away. Not only that, but Cardin always left himself wide open. And now this?

Jaune sighed.

He would have to be an idiot to fall for it. Because there was no way that his opponent really was that slow.

Right?

_Well, only one way to find out._

Cardin, apparently annoyed by the lack of reaction from his opponent, charged in with another wide swing. Jaune jumped back, and lashed out with his sword, scoring a hit on Cardin's wrist.

The mace wielder snarled, and reversed his swing. Jaune stepped in, taking the mace haft on his shield, stabbing under his opponent's armor and jumped back. Cardin roared, enraged, and followed after him. The blond boy feinted an overhead strike, and instead slashed at his opponent knee, slamming his shield into his arm at the same time.

 _Ok, so he really is that slow._ The blond thought, jumping back.

Cardin glared at his opponent, no longer so eager to attack.

"Finally decide to put up a fight? I must admit, I almost felt those love taps."

Jaune shifted his stance slightly.  _Oh, you gonna feel what will come next._

"But if you think it will be eno…" was all Cardin managed to say, before he had to parry Crocea Mors blade sailing towards his face. He managed to raise his mace in time to catch the blade on the metal shaft, but couldn't do anything against the shield that slammed into his face. He cursed, and tried to counterattack, but a shield to the face, followed by a quick stab to stomach forced him to defend.

"What's wrong… Iron Hunter was it? Don't tell me you are just all talk." Jaune taunted.

Cardin roared and charged, mace held high intending to crush his opponent. Jaune sidestepped again, slamming his shield into his opponent's side when he passed by. Cardin stumbled, and clumsy parried the next strike. Well, tried to at least. He realized the sword sailing towards his head was just another feint only when Jaune's foot caught him in the stomach, throwing him back.

Cardin somehow managed to stay on his feet - but not for long. Another shield bash to the face sent him to the ground. He tried to get up, but a foot on his chest, and a sword at his throat stopped him.

"The way I see it, this can end in two ways." Jaune said, with a small, friendly smile. "Either you give up, or I can keep beating you up until your Aura runs out. I don't mind either way, so make your call."

Cardin glared at his opponent. For a moment Jaune though he would try to attack him, but eventually the downed teen let go of his mace and slumped.

Jaune smiled and took his foot off his chest. He didn't lower his guard though - Cardin looked like the kind of guy who would attack you from behind the moment you looked away.

"Well, well, well. Such a shameful display, wouldn't you say so, Iron Hunter?" Nora's voice boomed.

"My Queen, that's.."

"Silence. Make not excuses, it will just make ye look more pathetic." She hummed, then slammed the haft of Magnhild down. "Thou seem to be a bit rusty. Is it from lack of proper fights? Or just laziness? Either way, I don't think 'Iron Hunter' is a name befitting you." She hummed then smiled. " From now on, until thou prove thyself worthy, thy name shall be Rusty. Now, leave this sacred Arena, and let one of my champions perform a proper Initiation."

Cardin looked like he wanted to argue, but eventually just shot glare at Jaune and left.

 _That felt… oddly satisfying._ He rolled his shoulders and looked up at the platform with Nora's throne.  _Now the question is, who I will be fighting next?"_

He didn't have to wonder for long. A familiar figure started walking down towards the arena, weapon in hand. The crowd started cheering, and Jaune grinned. His next opponent would prove much more challenging than Cardin.

"You ready? I won't go easy on you, so if you want to back off, now's your chance." She asked.

"Why would I? I'm warmed up, and it would be rude to make a lady wait like that." He answered, getting into his stance.

Weiss smiled and nodded.

"Very well. Then brace yourself."

* * *

She walked slowly, watching the blond boy carefully. He mirrored her actions, and fell into a familiar stance. Left foot forwards, shield held at an angle, both to better deflect incoming attacks, and hide his sword arm from view.

She glanced over arena, even though she'd seen it numerous times. But this time she focused, noting every detail she could.

It was small, much smaller than what Hunters usually fought at. She winced a little. That meant she had less space to retreat. But on the other hand - it would be easier to control the whole battlefield.

"You ready? I…" she called out, even though she knew answer. Of course he was ready, that…  _fight_  against Cardin was nothing more than a warm up for him. He could go at it for hours - she knew from personal experience. As their small talk continued, she began to formulate a plan.

_I need to keep my distance, he will win if he can corner me. The arena is small, I won't have much space to dodge… but neither will he. I can use my ice Dust to create a wall to stop his charge, then retreat, and bombard him from a distance. When he puts his shield up to defend, I can circle behind him, strike, and retreat._

* * *

…  _is probably what she is planning._ Thought Jaune, observing the heiress.  _She can easily take control of this small arena if I give her the opportunity. I need to put pressure on her from the start. She doesn't have much space behind her, so, using the wall as cover, she will dodge to the side. If I can predict which direction she will go, I can intercept her, that would make it much easier. If instead of charging straight ahead, I go…._

* * *

…  _from the side, he would at least know where I went, even if he goes to the opposite side. And he would be able use the wall as cover. I could try to freeze him when he comes out, but then it will be me who will have to make the right guess. Should I try a preemptive attack? He isn't that fast, I should be able to pull something off before..._

* * *

…  _I reach her._ Jaune glanced to Nora, who raised her hammer high.  _Ok, time's up. Attack, or dodge? Left or right?_ He tensed, eyes narrowing. He knew this instant at the beginning of the battle, this would be the only time when he would have the initiative. As soon as the first move was made, he had to catch heiress. Otherwise she would be able to easily dictate the tempo of fight.

And even though he knew that if all else failed, he could just turtle up and try to outlast her - that wasn't best tactic.

He frowned when he noticed the heiress dropping to one knee, settling in a position oddly similar to a sprinter's starting stance. Would she try to rush him? That would be strange - they both knew he was better at close quarters. Then again, she might opt for continuous charges using her glyphs to speed herself up. Not a bad idea, but extremely risky. One miscalculation, and she would get his shield to the face, and that would end the fight.

Then again, she might be just messing with him. Taking a strange stance to make him wary, make his distracted, start overthinking things. Wouldn't be the first time.

Nora's hammer hit the platform.

Jaune jumped to the left, rolled and got up. No attack came his way, instead, a nearly four meter high wall of ice erupted between him and Weiss.

_Damn._

He charged ahead, trying to figure what would be the heiress' next move.

_She will dash out, and start barraging me with attacks from range. But which way will she go? Left, or right?_

He ran left. Seeing no sign of his opponent, he raised his shield just as he rounded the corner, ready to take…

Nothing.

Surprised, he looked over his shield. The first thing he noticed was the distinctive lack of Weiss in front of him. The second was a Dust blast that hit him in the face.

_So it was up. Clever._

He clenched his teeth and raised his shield, wincing as another blast hit the metal surface. He considered his options for a few moments, then decided to fall back. Weiss took the initiative, and there was little he could do to change that, beside waiting for her to tire out.

* * *

Weiss sent one more blast at the retreating blond, and then he hid around the corner of the ice wall she made. Making such a big wall costed her a lot of Dust, and using glyphs as footholds for a long time was exhausting, but it was better than trying to go face-to-face with Jaune.

She sighed and made a few more glyphs, jumping around the wall, and trying to get a better angle to continue her bombardment. She had never tried this tactic against him, simply because back then she couldn't control her glyphs well enough.

She smirked.

_You might beat me in a straight fight. But you didn't think I didn't learn any new tricks, did you?_

She smirked and began to form another glyph. Oh, she had a lot of new tricks to show to her old friend.

* * *

Jaune clenched his teeth as another barrage fell on him. He tried to dodge out of way, but a black glyph that formed under his feet stopped him from moving.

_Ok, so she has a few new trick. That was expected, nothing to worry about. I can still work with it._

Suddenly his body become weightless, and he shot up, stopping roughly at the same height as the heiress. Five more glyphs formed around his legs, waist, and arms, locking them in place. Dozens more appeared all around him, forming a dome.

_Oh shit…_

He had barely a split second to activate his Semblance and harden his Aura before Weiss charged at him. She dashed from glyph to glyph, striking him at incredible speeds each time she passed. With his hands locked in place, all he could do was to clench his teeth and try to endure. He could feel his Aura drop like crazy, but Weiss couldn't keep this up for long.

Right?

Thankfully, this fierce assault lasted only a few seconds, glyphs all around him disappearing one by one, until only one remained. Weiss landed upon it gracefully, and considered him for a second.

Then a black glyph formed over his head.

_Oh shit._

Even though her face was obscured by mask, he knew she was smirking.

The floor of the arena they were fighting on was solid stone, but Weiss still managed to bury him halfway into it.

 _Ok, that hurt._  He pushed himself up, and glared at his opponent. This was starting to look really bad.

* * *

_This is… no good._

Her attacks were effective, she knew it. But she wasn't sure she could keep it up. Already she was feeling it, her breath not yet labored, but close to it.

_Should I go down, or stay above? I could try to make some ice pillars, and use those as footholds._

The idea was good, too bad she couldn't make it into a reality. Making ice structures solid enough for her to stand atop required concentration. Only a moment - but she knew it was all her opponent needed.

She preferred to not catch his shield to face, thank you very much.

With a sigh, she focused and send another barrage at downed blond. He rolled, got up, and started frantically dodging her attacks. It didn't go too well for him - the arena was small, and with no obstacles to hide behind, he was sitting duck.

She huffed, ignoring the beads of sweat running down her face. Was this a good, or bad tactic? She had no idea. Without Aura displays she had no way of knowing how much damage she was doing to her opponent. All she could do was to keep attacking, and hope her stamina lasted longer than his Aura.

And not think about how many times she had won endurance matches against him. There had to be a first time for everything, right?

* * *

 _This is bad._ Thought Jaune. He honestly didn't expect such a fierce assault from the heiress. She usually preferred to control her opponent, usually by freezing either the area around them, or the person themself.

Well, at least that was how she fought back in the day. In hindsight, it might have been a bit too naive to not assume she had adjusted her fighting style.

Another barrage hit him, and Jaune grit his teeth. For now he was pinned, unable to do anything. But Weiss was slowing down. Not only was there were less blast in each burst, they were getting weaker, and there was more time between each. He was getting used to her rhythm,

Of course this could be trap. She could be baiting him to lower his guard, so she can get some stronger attack in.

But then launching him in the air like she did earlier would be more effective. Judging by the fact she didn't do anything like that, instead opting to just hop from glyph to glyph, and rain attacks down on him, told him that it was too exhausting an attack to use repeatedly.

So now all he had to do was to wait, let her tire out, read her rhythm. And then…

Jaune smirked.

Well, Weiss wasn't only one who had some new tricks.

* * *

_Just go down already!_

She glared at the crouching boy. Did he get even tougher since the last time they fought? This was honestly cheating. And the bastard was using the armor that  _she_  got him! The nerve of some people…

With a huff of annoyance she sent a few weak attacks, just to distract him, and made another glyph. She was starting to slow down, she knew it. She could try to use a gravity glyph again, but those were very taxing. And without knowing how much damage she really did to him, it was better to focus on a steady stream of attacks, instead of try to break him down. She knew she didn't pack enough punch to do that - it was more of Yang's thing.

_Did I just made a pun?_

She shook her head. She definitely was spending too much time with the blond brawler. Not only she was corrupting her mind with her poor jokes - now she was distracting her in the middle of battle. Unforgivable!

She shook her head and focused back on her opponent. She was getting tired, and fast. Should she go back to the ground? It would let her catch her breath for a moment, but would put her at more risk. Up here Jaune couldn't reach her - as long as she kept an eye on his shield she was safe.

She threw another barrage of attacks, and hooped on another glyph. She landed, faced her opponent, and cursed when a piece of rock flew by her face.

_Is he throwing rocks at me?!_

Another, bigger piece of stone that hit her in the leg confirmed that yes, Jaune decided to go on the offensive by using pieces of broken arena. And there was quite a few of them lying around.

_That little…_

She ducked under another projectile, and answered with barrage of her own. If this blond dunce thought he could beat her with something like that….

She ignored the next pebble flying towards her, instead focused on sending another barrage at the now exposed blond.

The explosion wasn't big, but it was loud and flashy enough to break her concentration. The glyph she was standing on shattered, and she fell to the ground.

_Flashbangs!? When did he…_

She cursed and focused. She would ask these questions later - preferably with tip of her rapier at his throat - but for now, she had more pressing concerns.

The glyph was hastily made, and unstable, but was enough to slow down her descent. She hit the ground hard, but not hard enough to knock air out of her, and instantly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the sharp blade that slammed into where she was just a moment before.

She managed to push herself up, deflected an overhead strike, and stumbled back when his shield caught her in the face. She cursed, and shot a blast of ice Dust, hoping to distract her attacker for just split a second. She threw herself back, aided by a half formed glyph, creating some much needed distance.

Jaune didn't intend to let her off so easily, rushing right after her. She formed another glyph, too late noticing something - or rather the lack of something in front of her.

Her back hit the ice wall she created at the beginning of the battle. She cursed and threw herself to the side, dodging his sword, but leaving herself open for the kick that sent her to the ground. She rolled, but Jaune was already upon her.

She kicked him in the knee - and by some miracle she actually managed to stagger him.

_Guess I did more damage than I thought._

She kicked again, and got up with a back flip. Jaune charged in, not letting her get away.

_This is bad…_

She was losing, and losing hard. She had to do something to create distance, to get some breathing room. But locked in melee like that, there was little she could do. Her gaze slipped to the ice walk behind Jaune, and idea formed in her mind.

It was risky, crazy, borderline suicidal… but it was her only chance.

She ducked under a horizontal slash, and rolled behind him, throwing a stab at his knee. He bucked a little, but not enough to fall over. She got up and turned, her rapier held defensively in front of her.

As expected, Jaune charged, shield first. He didn't tried to knock her down, instead he continued his charge, carrying them both towards ice wall.

Weiss focused what was left of her Aura. A moment later, her back hit ice.

She clenched her teeth and focused. This was all or nothing. She used her rapier to defend herself as best as she could, her other hand placed against the ice wall. She needed to focus, it was her only chance…. Now!

The wall exploded, showering them both in sharp ice shards. Jaune, who was pushing at her, didn't expect to lose support so suddenly, stumbled, and fell.

Weiss used this momentary distraction to roll to the side and jump to her feet. She took a deep breath and faced her opponent in a classic fencer stance - left foot forward, sword arm slightly bent, other held behind her back.

Jaune scanned her over, no doubt wondering what kind of tricks she planned this time. Not seeing anything, he rolled his shoulders, took his own stance, and started slowly advancing towards her.

For a moment she was tempted to try and back off, but discarded the idea. If she moved, he would rush her, and she wouldn't get another chance to break free. This was her only chance.

_Now keep calm. You have only one shot at this. He knows you are planning something, but doesn't know what. I can't do anything to tip him off._

So she just stood there, weapon at the ready, and eyes focused on his. Jaune on the other hand was advancing slowly, eyes constantly scanning his surrounding, looking for any traps. He was close now, very close. He could rush her at any moment.

_Keep calm. Just a bit closer…_

Jaune made another careful step.

Weiss eyes flicked down, towards his feet.

He reacted in an instant, throwing himself to the side. Too late he realized that there were no attack coming, that this is just a feint. He cursed, got on one knee, and cursed again when he realized Weiss was already upon him.

His parry was clumsy, and far overextended, but it did throw her rapier to the side, and left her open. She twisted, sidestepping his counter - and then threw the small piece of ice she held in her other hand at him. His eyes widened, and then he cursed for a third time when a small glyph formed on the sparkling surface.

It exploded a second later, showering his face with tiny bits of ice. It wasn't enough to do any damage, but it did blind him for a moment - enough for Weiss to tackle him to the ground.

Jaune stared at the tip of her rapier resting at his neck.

Then he grinned, his muscles relaxing.

"Good fight." He said.

She smiled at him. He couldn't see it, but she was sure he knew anyway.

"Indeed, it was." She answered, getting up and offering him a hand.

He chuckled, accepting it.

"I must say I'm surprised. Never expected you would be so desperate to get on top of me."

She scoffed.

"Like you are one to talk. You were so eager to stab me with your sword after you pinned me to the wall, you stopped paying attention to anything."

"Now, now, don't be like that." He rolled his shoulders and waved to cheering crowd. "By the way, what was up with you staying up in the air whole time? I thought you wanted to have some fun?"

He said, punching her shoulder.

She huffed and punched pack.

"I did had fun. Showing you your place. Which is far below me, in case you've forgotten." She huffed again, crossing her arms, and raising her head.

"Plebeians like you have to be taught respect from time to time, lest you forget your place and stop showing respect to your betters." She added in an arrogant tone.

Jaune laughed. He made to answer, but the now familiar sound of metal hitting wooden platform caused them both to look up.

"Splendid! Your Queen is pleased. Champion, bring this Initiate before my personage!" Nora commanded.

Weiss sighed, and shrugged, walking towards the 'Queen', Jaune following close behind.

They stopped a few steps before her, Weiss coughing and pointing one hand at an amused Jaune.

"My Queen! You saw his fight, you saw his prowess, you saw his bravery. I deem this one worthy of joining the Ring of Masks!"

Nora nodded a few times, then rose from her seat.

"I hath seen, and I approve!" She called out, earning cheers from the gathered crowd. She then focused on Jaune.

"Ye hath proven yourself worthy Initiate. I might even make ye one of my champions. But first - what name shall thee be called by? Choose wisely, and know that if I decided it underwhelming, I might pick one myself."

Jaune hummed. This whole masquerade - pun not intended -was going a bit further than he liked. But then again - what was the harm in playing along?

_So, a name, huh?_

He considered his options. It probably should be something personal, something that described him in some way. He spent a few moments lost in thought, trying to figure something out. He was idly aware of how quiet the whole place become.

_They really make a big fuss out of this, huh?_

Well, all the more reason to take it seriously. But what could be… And then he recalled something, a memory from over two years ago, that brought smile to his face.

But should he? It was a bit silly…

_Ah, to hell with that. Worst thing that will happen is she will reject it and pick something for me._

He took a deep breath and looked Nora in the eyes.

"Yellow Wolf."

There were a few moments of tense silence, while Nora considered his answer. Then she nodded.

"Very Well! I welcome you to our glorious Ring, Yellow Wolf!" The crowd exploded in cheers. Someone started chanting his new name, and soon nearly two hundred voices were shouting 'yellow wolf'.

Nora allowed it for a moment, then slammed her hammer down.

"Now, onto the next Initiation. Which one of my champions will take upon this holy task?"

One person raised up, her blond hair waving as she started walking towards the arena.

Jaune looked at her opponent, and bowed slightly.

_My condolences._

He followed Weiss, sitting next to her at the wooden platform.

The next fight began shortly after.

* * *

**Here we go - Jaune's debiut in Ring of Masks. Not as crazy as it could be, right?**

**Anyway, I learned something interesting when I was working on the previous chapter, and it kind got confirmed in this one - writing Jaune and Weiss interacting with each other comes** _ **way**_   **too easily for me. No idea why, or how, but it's just… happening.**


	26. The Right Mix

**Welcome to ch 25 of TPA.**

* * *

"Oi, Fearless Leader, are you ok?"

Jaune coughed, and tried to get up, but fell back to his knees when his vision swam. He just nodded, not trusting himself to not vomit if he opened his mouth.

"Because you don't look fine. Likeek not at all." He looked up at his team, noticing their concerned expression. He sent them a reassuring smile - or at least he hoped it was a smile.

"I'm.. fine." He managed to choke out.

"Really? Maybe we should get you to the infirmary? Afterall…"

He raised hand to silence his partner. A few moments, and a few deep breaths later, he managed to get up to his feet.

"I'm ok." He repeated. "Trust me, it looks much worse than it really is."

"Well…" Nora looked him over. " You just drank that strange mix, and then nearly passed out. And considering what you added to it…" she shrugged, "I mean, they call me crazy, but I wouldn't drink that stuff. Like, ever."

He took another deep breath, and slowly let it go.

"So, did it work?" Asked Ren, with a hint of excitement in his voice. Jaune couldn't blame him. After all, this was the first Elixir they made together.

"Can't tell yet. I need more time to get used to it. We changed the recipe quite a bit after all."

"So… How does this even work? You said your Semblance is some form of Aura enhancement, right? Then how are you doing… this?" Nora made a vague motion in his direction.

Jaune hummed, considering his answer.

"I guess the best way to put it is that my Semblance is boosting the effects of Aura. So, it's not like it gives me some new abilities, like Pyrrha's polarity, it just allows me to crank up normal Aura stuff to eleven. It requires concentration, and increases consumption, but I can - for example; speed up healing far beyond Aura's passive regeneration, or harden it, making it far better for blocking attacks."

"Like that time when you sparred with Yang? When she used her Semblance?" Asked Pyrrha. Jaune smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, just like that. But I can't keep it up for long. And if I put too much Aura into a 'wall,' like that, it gets expelled when struck. That what that white flash you saw was. Useful for blinding an opponent, but too taxing on my Aura."

"Ok, I got that. But if it's Aura strengthening, then how does it help you with your Elixirs? You said those things can melt people's brains and turn them into zombies!"

"To be honest, it's hard to explain. I kinda use my Semblance to pick apart the Elixir to a more basic level, then apply my Aura to it to see which parts do what, and then I figure out the sequence that will give me the desired effect… Does that make sense?"

The blank stares of his teammates said that no, it didn't make much sense at all. Jaune groaned and looked around the small classroom he and Ren took over for their little laboratory, looking for some inspiration. Unfortunately, neither the walls, the old desks, or even the roof wanted to give him any answers.

Assholes.

"Ok, how about this…" he trailed off, an idea finally forming in his mind. "Think about it as… a song." He said slowly

"A song?" Nora asked, uncertain.

"Yeah, a song." Jaune nodded, confidence building."An Elixir - or any kind of substance, be it food, medicine, or poison - is like a song. Something simple, like distilled water, would have only a few notes, while something more complicated could have tens, or hundreds of them. When I activate my Semblance and start changing the effects of whatever mixture I just took, I make certain notes play either louder, or quieter. Or maybe slower, or faster? Nevermind. Anyway, that way I can check what effects certain sequences have, and then boost only those that give me positive effects. Additional benefit is that when I learn some sequence, I can identify it in other substances. So for example, If I drink a beer, and figure out which part of it's 'song' is alcohol, I will be able to detect alcohol in anything I eat or drink. And if I memorize some sequences as harmful, my Aura will start blocking them without me having to think about it."

He nodded to himself, and smiled.

"When I test a new Elixir, there's this moment when I basically make lots of noise, playing this song randomly, until I start to figure what certain sequences do. It's easier if it has at least a few familiar parts, but the more components there are, the harder it is to control it."

He paused, considered something for a moment, then nodded.

"So, does that make sense?"

"Well…" Pyrrha trailed off. "I think i get it. So the reason you get headache, or nausea, is because you play the new song so poorly?"

Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah. Essentially."

"Ok, I get that." Said Nora, one finger tapping her cheek." But why can't other people can't use them? From what you said, anyone with good Aura control should be able to manage it."

Jaune shrugged.

"I'm not certain, but I think that my Semblance allows me more control on what part of them will be affected, how, and how strong. For example, this," he picked up the bottle with heart enhancer. " It has two opposite effects. For a normal person, it would either boost, or lower their heart rate, depending on which substance said person is more vulnerable to. It might even have no effect at all, or cause arrhythmia. Similar for Hunters, but in that case, Aura will affect it too. It might either dismiss the effect, or enhance it, but I never met anyone who could control it as well as I do. Well, not many people were willing to try, to be honest." He looked over his team and smiled. "But if you want to volunteer…"

"No." Ren said shaking his head.

"Nope." Nora exclaimed happily.

"I-I think I'll pass. I'm pretty sure it's against some of my contracts." Pyrrha smiled at him.

"Come one guys - for science!" Three blank stares were his only answer. Jaune huffed and crossed his arms.

"Ok, suit yourselves but when I finally perfect my recipes, and become filthy rich, you will regret not being part of it."

"Isn't Ren already helping you out?" Nora pointed out. Then hummed, tilting her head to the side. "Wait,  _what_  exactly he is helping you with? You spent all afternoon working on this thing.

Jaune meet Ren's eyes, and they both nodded. With smile blond boy pointed at now empty bottle.

"Ladies, I present to you, Perception Enhancer, mark two. Product of the joint efforts of myself, and my brilliant assistant Lie Ren."

"Ooooh! You made it even stronger? How strong it is now? Can you…."

"No." Jaune said calmly, stopping Nora's babbling.

"No… what?" She asked, blinking in surprise.

"It's not stronger. Quite the opposite in fact - it's much weaker."

"But.. why?"

"Well, it's simple. The original recipe was just too strong. Using my earlier analogy - the song had a very complicated melody. This meant it cost me a lot of focus and Aura to keep it right. So, I always needed a few moments to make sure I got the melody right. And even after that, I had to focus to keep it that way. And even though it gave me a potential to boost to my senses several times over - I would never need so strong a boost in any situation I could realistically encounter. And if I messed something up, and, for example, boosted my hearing, or sight by twenty times in the middle of the fight - it could easily cripple me."

Jaune smiled and took one of the many bottles standing on table next to him.

"I tried to fix this for a while. I had some successes, but nothing worth using. Either the effects were too weak, or the side effects too strong.. " he smiled, tossing the glass container in the air. "But now, with Ren's help? I think we might just make it work."

"So… what are you gonna call it?" Nora asked suddenly, walking to him, and picking up the bottle he drank from.

"Because 'Perception Enhancer mark two' is a bit too long, don't you think?"

Jaune hummed. She did have a point.

"To be honest, I haven't thought about it. I'm open for suggestions."

"How about 'Owl'?"

"Well… Why not? Considering I'm using it mostly for better hearing, and night vision, it's quite fitting."

Nora beemed.

"Great! Then I demand half the profit from when you start selling this stuff."

"Oh? What shady business are you nerds are getting into? And why I wasn't invited?"

They all turned to source of the new voice. Yang strode in with the rest of team RWBY following close behind.

"Nothing much. Just plotting how we will take control of the world."

"What, you wanna develop some mixture that lets you mind-control people?" Asked Ruby, pointing at the laboratory glassware standing atop one of the desks.

Jaune chuckled.

"Nah, mind control is overrated. Not very reliable at the end of the day. We will make people want to give up they freedom, so they can enjoy living under our benevolent rule. If you guys will be nice and obedient, we will find you some nice spots in our government. What do you say? Wanna be out lackeys?"

"Nah, I'll pass. To get to world domination, Ice Queen here would first have to let you off of your leash. Or at least ease up on it a bit." Yang smirked at him, ignoring the eye roll from Weiss.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But when we're splitting Remnant among ourselves, you'll remember that you could be one of us."

Weiss snorted.

"Sure. Anyway, why did you called us out here? I hope it wasn't just to share your delusions?"

"Yeah, I would like to know myself. You said you have something important to discuss with us, but were quite secretive." Pyrrha smiled at her partner. "Will you tell us now?"

"Yeah." Jaune smiled and looked over his friends. How should he breach the topic? The more he thought about the idea, the more he liked it. But thing was, it wouldn't work if he couldn't get his friends on board. He'd laid some groundwork with his team after his debut in Nora's little tournament, and spent most of Sunday making preparations and plans. He considered taking a bit more time, but after discussing it with Peter, he decided to not delay any longer.

"So the thing is… I got call from the Company yesterday…" Curious glances turned into suspicious ones. Well, at least they weren't tackling him to the ground.

"And they said there is this one job… Ruby, what are you doing?" The red reaper chuckled nervously.

"Ummm.. Nothing?"

"Then why did you just use your Semblance to dash for the door?"

Another nervous chuckle.

"I didn't! You must have imagined it!"

Jaune looked at trail of rose petals, and raised a single eyebrow. Ruby started whistling some melody, not meeting his eyes.

"Well, nevermind, you can do what you want. So, like I was saying, I got a call from the Company, and they said there is this big job coming up…. Guys, am I talking too quietly?"

"No… why?" Asked Nora.

"Because you all are standing very close now. It's honestly a bit uncomfortable…"

"You must be imagining things." Said Weiss, nodding.

"Well, I don't think…"

"You are imagining things." She repeated.

"But…"

"You. Are. Imagining. Things."

Jaune chuckled nervously, looking over his friends for help. Judging by they started, and how thick a circle they formed around him, he wouldn't be getting any anytime soon.

"Yeah, right. Must be those Elixirs I drank earlier."

"For sure." Weiss nodded, and smiled at him. " Now, what was this about a job? I presume you refused, and feel bad about it now, right?"

Jaune chuckled again. Somehow, this wasn't going as he planned it.

"Hehe.. Actually.. I kinda accepted it?"

He could swear temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha began but he stopped her.

"It's nothing too dangerous, or secret, or anything like that."

"Jaune…" Ruby whined.

"It's really not that big a deal. Yeah, they called it 'big', but it's only because they are hiring a lot of people! It's a pretty standard operation, really…"

"Jaune…" Weiss growled at him.

Jaune swallowed. Maybe it would be better if instead of excuses he got straight to the point? Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

"So I thought that maybe you guys would like to tag along?" He finished quickly.

There were a few moments of stunned silence.

"Tag… along?" Yang asked, as if uncertain if she heard him right.

"Well.. yeah." He answered, looking warily at his fellow blond. She paused, hummed, then threw the rope she was holding away.

_Wait, where did she get that? And why she was carrying rope with her!?_

"Well, you have my curiosity Ladykiller. Please, tell me more. What is this job, and what is in it for us?"

"So, they recently managed to clear one mining colony a bit east of Vale. Apparently, there is still a lot of Dust and some minerals there, so they want to go back to digging. But, they found out that there is a bunch of Harrowed in the old tunnels, so the Company is forming a team to clean it up. And I thought, that I might get you guys in on it."

"Ok… But why?"

Jaune sighed, and rubbed back of his head.

"Well.. I mean, none of you ever seen a Harrowed up close, right?" He waited for them to confirm and sighed.

"So I thought, it would be good if you get some experience in a more… controlled situation. It's not that I doubt your skill! It's just that.. " he sighed, shaking his head.. " when I was traveling with Leon, I saw many instances where people got wounded by Harrowed, simply because they let their guard down. I don't want it to happen to my friends, so I thought I would arrange a situation where you can learn more about them. And.. yeah.." he finished with a nervous laugh.

"So… you want to teach us?" Asked Weiss.

"Well, if you want to? I mean, if you are serious about being a Hunter, you will encounter Harrowed sooner or later. So it would be good for you to know how to deal with them. I'm not saying you need to become Witchers, but just knowing the basics could help you in the future."

"Well…" Weiss began, yelping when Ruby shoved her aside.

"Wait, you're gonna teach us your secret knowledge? And how to make black swords?"

"Well.. if you want? Sure."

Ruby cheered.

"Yes! Team RWBY, we are becoming Witchers! It's gonna be so cool!"

"Now, wait just a minute." Weiss called out.

"I admit it's interesting idea, and acquiring more knowledge is always a good thing, but I would like to remind you, we are students. And this comes with some responsibilities. We should consider carefully if we can afford to divide our attention like that. And even if we start this Witcher course, I don't think we will be allowed to simply go and take 'jobs' as we please. There are regulations and rules we need to obey."

"But Weiss…" Ruby whined, tugging her sleeve. "Jaune went out of his way to help us out. How can you just refuse like that?"

The heiress looked at her team leader, but quickly averted her gaze.

"I-I'm not saying we can't do it. I'm just saying that if we are going to do it, we should do it properly."

Jaune chuckled. Ruby's puppy eyes must have been really strong, to melt Weiss icy exterior like that.

"I think it's a great idea. Maybe not this job thing, but learning more about Harrowed? I would love that." Pyrrha nodded.

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like most of his friends were on board with the idea. Ruby and Nora were the most excited, Yang looked intrigued, Pyrrha and Ren interested.

He couldn't read Blake well, her face didn't give him anything, but she didn't argue, so there was that. The only problem was Weiss. But if he could convince her it wouldn't reflect poorly on her grades…

He smirked. Fortunately, he came prepared.

"Well yeah, I agree. We are students, so it wouldn't do to get expelled because we got too occupied with other things. But I'm sure our teachers will look at this positively. I mean - this will basically be us going over stuff that isn't covered in the basic program. We will show initiative, and so on. It's bound to earn us some bonus points."

"As long as it don't interfere with our regular lessons." The Heiress said, chin cupped in one hand. "Yeah, I can see merit to it. But, I believe we will have lessons about Harrowed in our third year…"

 _Ok, so she is in argument mode._ Jaune sighed. This meant he needed to crush any arguments Weiss had - preferably before she voiced them. He knew full well that this was one battle where he had no chance to outlast his old friend.

"True, but what's wrong with covering a more advanced program early? I can't imagine teachers getting angry about it. "

Weiss eyes narrowed, a small smirk spreading on her lips. She recognized the challenge, and was all too happy to accept it. Usually he would look for a way to back off. But now? He had a plan.

"Oh, really? Well, I do agree that covering more advanced material is a good thing.. If one can understand it. What makes you think you are qualified to teach us?"

He smirked. He'd hoped for this question.

"Well.. I mean, it was Miss Goodwitch who suggested it."

Weiss' eyes widened.

_Bingo. Got her on back foot. Now just to press the advantage._

"Yeah, I mean, think about it. I spent four years in the Wilds. Two training as a Witcher. I don't want to brag, but when it comes to Harrowed, I know far more than what is written in a textbook."

Weiss hummed, considering his words.

_Good, almost there. Just one last push._

"Now, That is a grand idea if I ever heard one!" A jovial voice boomed.

Everyone turned around, to see Profesor Port marching into the classroom, a wide smile on his lips.

"It pleases my old heart to see my students helping each other grow. Why, it reminds of my youth, when…" cold terror filled classroom, where seven teens started to back towards the windows.

Professor Port, instead of launching into another tale, just chuckled and shook his head.

"Ah, but let's not talk about the past. Let's focus on present, and the future!" Seven explosive sighs of relief sounded.

"Now, I overheard a bit of your conversation. From what I understand, you want to start some self study group, right? Mind giving me any details?"

Jaune smiled, and quickly presented his idea to his favorite profesor. Port listened carefully, and when Jaune finished, smiled and clapped his hands.

"A splendid idea, truly splendid. I must say I'm surprised you didn't think of it sooner. Now, do you intend to make it an official studying circle?"

Jaune blinked in surprise.

"Official?"

"Oh, you don't know? Student's can form official student groups. There are some formalities that need to be taken care of, but if such group works well, all members receive additional points on evaluation."

Weiss perked up at that. Jaune smiled. She was so easy, sometimes.

"And what are the formalities?" The heiress asked, suddenly very interested.

Professor Port hummed.

"Well, first of all, a list of the people involved, the theme they will be studying, as well as a schedule of sessions has to be presented to a faculty member. If this is something combat related, they need to have at least one teacher as a supervisor. If such an application is accepted, the group needs to select their representative. A person who will take care of all formalities needed for the group to function."

"I see…" Weiss hummed.

_Ok, she is basically on board. Now, for the finishing blow…_

Two Witchers exchanged a quick glance.

"Well… I'm sure professor Port would agree to be our supervisor, right?

"Of course, Jaune my boy! What kind of teacher would I be, if I didn't do everything I can to support my dear students pursuit for knowledge?"

"It certainly sounds interesting. But I wouldn't want this to affect our grades..."

"Now, Miss Schnee, judging by yours, you have nothing to worry about!" Weiss blushed a little at the compliment.

"I'm sure you would have no trouble with it. But if you are concerned about it - since I'm sure you would have no problem covering necessary material yourselves, If you form this study group, you all will be excused from my classes. You would still have to pass the end of semester exam, but…"

"DEAL!" Seven voices sounded in unison. Profesor Port laughed, sending a discreet glance to Jaune. The blond boy remained composed on the outside, but internally he was cackling like a madman.

_Hook, line, and snicker. Just as planned._

"Ok, so I assume everyone is on board with the idea?" He asked aloud. When he got confirmation from his friends, he smiled and nodded.

"Great. So, could you guys go with the professor and take care of the formalites? Me and Ren need to clean this up." He said pointing thumb towards tables covered in laboratory glassware.

"Do you want some help?" Asked Pyrrha.

"Nah, we will be fine. Go, we will join you soon."

Ren sighed, and moved to start clean up. After a few moments he noticed his team leader just stood there, not moving. He only stared at a single point, a blank expression on his face.

"Jaune?" The raven haired boy called out. The blond hunter don't answered at first, only titled his head to the side.

"Hey, Ren…"

"Yeah?"

"So, I think that last Elixir works quite well. Even if I don't focus on it too much, it doesn't seem to go nuts. And even if I boost my hearing, or sight, it seems to tune down on its own, if there are louder noises, or I look at something brighter."

Ren hummed.

"Sounds good. We will probably need to test it in some more extreme conditions. See how well it works when you go from a very dark room, to a bright one, or from complete silence to some very loud noises. What are the side effects?"

"That depends...Do you see the white Ursa in a pink suit with the trumpet sitting over there?"

Ren looked at direction his team leader was pointing.

"No, I don't see anything."

"Oh, that's good. I was almost certain it was part of the side effects. Just making sure."

Ren nodded, and went back to his work.

"I assume that means that giant yellow marshmallow moonwalking over there isn't real too?"

"No, I don't think so."

Jaune tsked.

"Damn. It has some nice moves, let me tell you."

"I see… Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't mention any of this around Nora. She might…. Just don't do it, ok?"

"Sure thing."

* * *

**And that wraps up chapter 25. Jaune starts working on upgrading his elixirs, with the help of Ren. And with help of Port, he gets himself seven students. How will our resident blond monster slayer will fare in this role? Will he survive having to teach seven people? Will they serve him training?**

**Also, a bit more insight on how Jaune's Semblance works.**

**Anyway, Jaune is scheming, Weiss is being the voice of reason, and Ren is being cool. Like some hallucinations could faze this guy.**

 

* * *

**Twice As Nice**

Things, Jaune decided, could be going better.

He wandered the streets of Vale looking in vain for Hunter's Rest, trying to keep his lunch down.

His latest Elixir mix had more than a few side-effects.

The vomiting was pretty standard, he was used to that by now. Same with the dizzy spells.

The hallucinations however? That was new.

He'd spent about an hour fighting imaginary Grimm...or five minutes, it was hard to tell at this point.

The voices had been creepy, but meeting Pumpkin Pete was pretty cool.

Now, he'd settled into double vision. Hooray for progress.

Finally, he saw the grand double doors of the bar and sighed with relief. He had thought he remembered there being two Ursa statues outside of Tob's place, but…he REALLY needed a drink at this point.

He pushed open the doors and was immediately assaulted by blaring music and flashing lights.

_Yeah, definitely not Tob's place._

He turned to leave but caught sight of bar out of the corner of his eye.

_Tob won't mind if I get just one drink at someone else's bar, right?_

He made a beeline for the bar, stumbling all the way. He practically tripped over the stool, before settling on the offending piece of furniture and ordering a scotch.

The tall, well dressed bartender looked at him skeptically over his sunglasses.

"You look like you've already had enough."

 _Who wears sunglasses indoors?_  Jaune thought.

"Please, it's been a rough day."

The man grunted in sympathy. "Yeah, I know about those. Ok kid, just don't start anything, or you'll have to deal with them." He nodded over Jaune's shoulder.

Jaune turned, and laid eyes on one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever seen. She, or more accurately, all four of her, had flawless pale skin, with jet black hair reaching down her back, and piercing green eyes.

What Jaune couldn't figure out, is why half of the hallucinations were wearing red, and the other white.

_Oh Gods, it's getting worse._

The quartet of girls began making their way over at the bartender's insistence, and Jaune began to panic.

_Oh No! I can't even think straight! Keep calm Jaune, just be confident!_

The bartender gestured towards Jaune. "Watch him. Seems chill enough, but I've had enough of drunk Hunters in my club."

"I think we can handle him." The girl in white spoke as she took a seat on his left.

"Yeah, he doesn't seem too tough." The one in red chipped in as she took the seat on his right.

_How is she doing that!? What the hell was in that Elixir?_

Jaune knew he had a decision to make. If he tried to chat up the illusion, the girl would think he was crazy. He was going to have to guess.

He decided on the girl in white, she seemed mildly less aggressive.

"Hey pretty lady, does my bodyguard have a name?"

She frowned. "I think babysitter is more accurate."

He shrugged. "I'll take it."

She smirked. "Melanie."

"I'm Miltiades." The illusion on his right spoke.

He ignored her.

"I'm Jaune Arc. That's a pretty name, is it Valerian?" He asked.

Melanie looked at him in surprise, eyes widening a little, then broke out in a grin at her sister's flabbergasted expression.

"You're smarter than you look." She teased. "Where are you from blondie?"

_It's going well!_

"Someplace a lot more boring than this." He said, gesturing to the lively bar. "What's working here like?"

The girl leaned back against the bar. "More boring than you'd think. Mostly just people watching. Occasionally someone will get out of hand, and my sister and I will have to put them down."

"Yeah we do." The illusion in red spoke again.

"A sister huh? She must be jealous."

Melanie cocked her head. "Why's that?"

Jaune chuckled. "How could she not be, with a sister as beautiful as you?"

"What the hell!" Miltiades shouted.

Melanie's grin returned. "Oh, I think I like you."

He mock bowed. "I'm here to entertain."

She leaned in. "And what if I get bored of you?"

He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Well, we'll just have to stop that from happening." His eyes flashed towards the dance floor. "Do you dance?"

She brushed her hair back. "Depends, are you any good?"

"Get a room." The illusion called.

He ignored it again, instead held out his hand, his confidence surging. "The best."

She giggled as she took his hand and they made their way to the dance floor, leaving a very confused, very angry Miltiades in their wake.

The girl in red fumed.

NO one ignored her. SHE was the pretty one.

She watched Jaune's form disappear into the crowd on the floor and made a decision.  
Her sister wasn't about to outdo her. Jaune Arc would be hers.

* * *

**Omake written by JJD. I hope you enjoyed.**


	27. First Contact

**Welcome to ch 26 of TPA. Sorry JJD for forcing you to go over it so late.**

* * *

Yang glared at her desk.

"What the hell is this?!"

Jaune shrugged.

"Books."

"I see that. What I want to know is why there is so many of them."

"You want to go on that mission, right? Well then, you have to pass the test. And to do that you have to study."

The blonde brawler groaned, picked one book, read the title, and sighed.

"Great, more studying. As if we didn't have enough of it already."

"Hey, no one said it would be easy."

Yang glared at him one last time, and went to read the book she picked.

"Couldn't you just sum it up for us?"

Jaune turned to Blake and shrugged.

"I could. But I need to visit the Company office, and get you guys registered as helpers. And it would be best if you would be doing  _something_  productive when Weiss comes back."

"Where is she anyway?"

"Dunno. Probably taking care of some of the formalities regarding our study group." Jaune checked his croll.

"Ok, guys, I should be back in an hour or so. Then we can go over this material together."

"See ya. If it looks like you are about to get into some kinda mess, call us!"

Jaune glared at his fellow team leader, who was currently pretending she was reading one of the books he brought. Or maybe she was really reading? It was hard to say. With a sigh, Jaune turned around and left the Beacon library.

Seriously, they could have a little more faith in him? It's not like he got involved in messy stuff like Spring Valley that often… right?

Oh well, not that it mattered. Vale was quiet recently. Not counting oncoming uproar after a whole nearby village was wiped out, and a streak of robberies, and increased White Fang activity and…

Ok, it was hot mess ready to blow, but at very least Jaune was not part of any of that.

And he would do what he could to keep it that way.

* * *

The doors to team JNPR room slammed open, revealing a very angry Jaune. The blond leader stormed towards the bathroom without a word, completely ignoring his team.

"Fearless Leader looked upset…" Nora pointed out from over the book she was reading.

"Yeah… I wonder what happened." Pyrrha looked at the door to bathroom, concern mixed with curiosity.

"Maybe some troubles with the Company? He said he should be back after an hour or so, but he was gone for almost three."

Pyrrha shrugged. There was no point in guessing - they could just ask him.

A few minutes later, a much less angry Jaune walked out of the bathroom, and collapsed on his bed.

"So… what happened Fearless leader?"

Jaune groaned, covering his face with one hand.

"I had to face the worst monster that ever existed. Bureaucracy."

"Something about the job you want to take us on?"

Jaune sighed, and sat up, sending his partner a tired smile.

"No, it was about Spring Valley. They wanted me to 'just answer some questions'."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. On the brighter side, they didn't have too many problems with me taking you guys on the job. As long as they get confirmation from Beacon you are ready for this level of combat, and you pass the test to prove you knew at least a basic of fighting against Harrowed, you will be good."

Ren hummed, putting his book aside.

"You think we will pass it? I mean, we haven't even had a week, and there is a lot of material to cover here. And we still have to keep up with Beacon material."

"Don't worry about it. I'll just sum up the important parts for you." Jaune hummed, considering something. "In fact, we can go over it now. I got some more details about the job, so we can make it an early strategy meeting. Can someone call for RWBY?"

Pyrrha nodded, and opened her scroll.

"Ok ladies and Ren. Since I got some more details about this job we will be going on, I decided to hold this strategy meeting. Listen carefully, this might be an easy job, but it will make it all the more embarrassing if we fail."

He placed his scroo on the table, and tapped a few buttons.

"Here we see a map of the area we will be operating in. It's an old mining center near Red Mountain. There was some big accident there a few years back and the place was abandoned up until now. Someone bought the place out from old owners, and wants to restart mining operations. That's why this little clean-up operation was organized."

"The client put together their own team of Witchers to clean up the tunnels. Our job will be support. A total of seven teams will cover all known exits from the mine to ensure none of the Harrowed escape. All of us will cover one spot, seeing as you guys have no experience with this sort of thing."

"As for what Harrowed we will be dealing with - it's mostly Class One, exact number unknown. We probably won't encounter any Grimm there, but even if we do, I don't think we will see anything more than a few stray Beowolves, maybe some Ursa."

He looked over his friends, considering something for a moment.

"Ok, so since you know what you will be dealing with, tell me what you know about this type of Harrowed."

There were a few moments of silence, where everyone was just looking at each other. Unsurprisingly, it was Weiss who spoke first.

"Class One, commonly referred to as 'Ghouls', are the most common out of three types of Harrowed, amounting to around eighty percent of all recorded encounters. According to existing knowledge, they do not possess any special abilities, like Class Two do, but they physical capabilities much higher than most Grimm. On top of that, they are very intelligent, capable of working well in groups, and using advanced tactics to corner, and kill their prey."

Jaune smiled and nodded.

"Good. There are a few things I would like to add. First of all, never, ever turn your back on a Ghoul that you are not one hundred percent sure is really dead. Bastards can play dead quite well. Second - just because they are the most common type of Harrowed, do not take them lightly. Young ones are not too dangerous, but older ones are though, fast and strong. They can run incredibly fast, have extremely thick hides that can withstand fire from most handheld weapons, and, like Weiss said, are very smart. They usually prefer to charge from distance using their mass and speed to tackle they target to the ground and maul them to death. Their jaws are not as strong as Beowolf or Ursa, but can still deal some serious damage. "

"One more thing - if you damage a Ghoul's body too much before killing it, there is a chance it will turn into Wraith. So, if you can help it, no decapitations, or blowing them up."

Jaune ignored the disappointed 'aww' from Nora, and looked over his friends.

"Any questions?"

"You said we should make sure they are dead before we turn around. But this books of yours said that this 'corruption' will start disappearing after they die. Can't we just wait and see?" Asked Yang.

Jaune nodded.

"It's true, but not every Ghoul will turn back the same way. In some cases it's slow and steady process, sometime it can take hours, or even days for it to start, and it progress rapidly. So, just to be sure, hit it with something. Even if it's just small rock, they will think you saw through their act and attack you. You can also stab through the heart - this will kill them for sure... anything else?"

"Maybe some more tips on fighting them? Something we should watch out for?" Ruby suggested.

Jaune considered her question for a moment.

"Well, I'm not sure what to say. The fact that Ghouls do not have any special abilities makes fighting them very… simplistic, I guess? It all comes down to if you are fast and strong enough to beat one. Well, as long as you don't get ambushed, but hopefully we won't have to worry about that there."

"I guess one thing I could say is to not underestimate their capabilities. What we will be dealing with will be full grown Ghouls. Those bastards can reach around two and a half meters of height, and weigh around two hundred kilograms on average. If one of them tackles you, it's basically over. And they can jump very,  _very_  far. From a standing position, it's around ten meters up, and twelve straight. With a run up, it goes up to around fifteen up and eighteen to even twenty straight. Not to mention they can run extremely fast - on average forty to fifty kilometers per hour."

"Your best beat is to dodge the initial charge, and either take it down in single strike, or cripple its hind leg. Without the ability to charge, they will be forced to just stand there and fight you, and they are not great at it."

Jaune hummed, and nodded.

"Ok, that is all I can think about at the moment. Any more questions?"

There were none, so both teams separated and retired for the night. After all, they were allowed to go only if their activities didn't affect their studies negatively.

* * *

_And just like that, I survived another week at Beacon, without getting into trouble. Are you watching me, Leon?_

Jaune though, a melancholy smile on his lips, as he left Oobleck's classroom. He briefly wondered what his old teacher was up to now. Would he be proud of him, if he knew how well Jaune was doing? Probably yes, considering all the shit the blond had to deal with - most of it involving Nora in some matter.

With a sigh, Jaune adjusted his backpack and wandered off, no particular destination in mind. He could go to his dorm room where the rest of his team probably was - lucky bastards that don't have to attend Oobleck's supplementary lessons - or to library, to maybe do some homework. But seeing as it was a warm day, and the school week was over, he really wasn't in the mood to sit over some books. Instead, he ventured out to Beacon's courtyard, sat at one of benches and pulled something out of his backpack.

It was a mask of snarling wolf, painted white and gold. He just found it among his things Monday morning, along with a note stating when the next Ring of Mask would take place, and that 'His Queen demands his presence." He briefly considered not going - it was a silly thing, and not really his style, but ultimately showed up. After all, his teammates went to great lengths to organize it all, and he didn't lose anything by playing along.

And besides, after his first fight, Cardin finally stopped his attempts at bullying him, only from time to time sending him glares.

Jaune sighed, and leaned back, closing his eyes. Leon was still in Atlas, last time he checked. It was surprising, he usually didn't take a contract that locked him in one place for so long. Especially if it was in the northern parts of Atlas - Leon despised the cold almost as much as he did big cities.

 _At least he is alive. Wonder when he will come near Vale._ A Small smile crept across his lips. He couldn't wait to sit at Tob's fireplace, with mug of his special tea, and swap stories with his old friend. Afterall, he finally had some adventures that Leon wasn't a part of.

Jaune wasn't sure how he felt about that. Leon appeared in his life suddenly, almost out of nowhere. But they had become really close, really fast. Jaune could still remember that time when older man called him brother, a sentiment that he returned fully. It was strange really. There were many things about Leon that he don't know, a man always acting nonchalantly, as if nothing bothered him. But it never bothered Jaune. There was something about him that despite how he acted, Jaune felt connected to him in many ways.

 _Or maybe it is because of how he acted?_ The blond mused. Jaune recalled one time, when they visited some old man in Vacuo that Leon referred to as one of his best friends. That was one of reasons why blond boy was so surprised when he learned that his teacher don't know name of this person.

"I don't need to know your name to call you friend. All I need to know if you are a decent person, someone I can get along with." Leon said. These words really stuck with Jaune. Afterall, all those things like names, race, gender, or social standing didn't matter in the long run. You could be poor and be decent person, you could be rich and be an asshole, or the other way around. All that really mattered was, what kind of person you were.

"Lien for your thoughts?"

Jaune looked up, his blue eyes melting into silver ones.

"Hey Ruby. Just thinking about… stuff."

The young huntress chuckled and sat next to him.

"Yeah, I do that a lot too." She noticed the mask in his hand and smiled. "I see you got one yourself?"

Jaune chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah. I'm still surprised how a little sparring session could turn into… that. I mean, I know it's Nora who we talking about, but still." He shook his head. "How did she even get Ozpin to approve of this madness."

Ruby hummed, then shot him a look.

"You really want to know?"

Jaune open his mouth, closed it, pondered something for a moment, then just shook his head.

"Probably not. I'm getting exposed to too much madness already."

Ruby giggled, and leaned back, swinging her legs. They just sat there in comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

"So, how are things with your team?"

Ruby smiled at him.

"Good! I think I'm starting to get this whole leadership thing. Weiss doesn't look upset  _all_  the time, just, you know like ninety-seven, maybe ninety-eight percent of the time."

Jaune gasped in mock shock.

"Really?!"

Ruby nodded seriously.

"Yeah. She even complimented me once, saying I did a good job!"

Jaune started at her, eyes wide.

"No way…" He shook his head and looked up at the sky. "I tell you, the end days are upon us. Soon the moon will fall from the sky, and the world will be destroyed by white flame, to be reborn anew." He exclaimed dramatically.

Ruby chuckled and shook her head.

"Don't be so dramatic. It's not that big of a deal."

"No, you just don't know Weiss as well as I do. She never compliments anyone. Never!"

"Well, yeah, we might have broken her a bit. I mean - she was exposed to Yang's puns for over a month now. Things like that change you, you know?"

"I guess."

They smiled at each other, and chuckled, yet again falling silent.

"Hey, Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"About this mission… could you give me some tips? I mean you gave us those books, and there were the strategy meetings, but…"

"Nervous?"

"Yeah. I mean, this will be my first time working alongside professionals! I don't want to end up doing something stupid."

"Don't worry about it Rubes. It won't be that different than fighting Grimm. Besides…" he paused and shook his head. " Well, it will be better if you find out yourself."

"Hey! You can't say something like that and then leave me hanging." She pouted at him. "Spill. What did you mean."

"Now, don't be mad. It's just that… fighting Harrowed is different that fighting Grimm. I'm not talking about tactics, or their abilities. It's about… feeling. They presence."

"Presence?"

"Yeah. It's…" Jaune sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, it's really hard to explain. You will find out soon enough anyway. I'm sure you'll all do just fine, and I'll be there to help you out if something goes wrong. So don't worry, and do your thing."

"You mean being a badass Huntress?"

Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah, that one."

"But there is this test… I'm not good with tests." She complained.

"Relax. Half of it will be the combat one, and as for theory…" he shrugged. "You'll manage somehow."

She punched him in the arm pouting. He punched her back, smirking.

"Anyway, we should be going. Better be ten minutes too early than two too late." Said Jaune, after a few minutes of playful punching. Ruby nodded, and pulled out her scroll, calling her team. Jaune did the same, and soon all eight of them were on a bullhead to Vale.

* * *

"Your performance was acceptable. Your application for this job will be accepted." That was all the man in a black suit told them before leaving. Jaune smirked at his friends' stunned expressions.

"So… that's it?" Asked Yang, cleary not certain what to make of it.

"Yep." Jaune confirmed with a nod.

_Wait for it..._

"That was… cold. Are they always liked that?" Asked Blake.

Jaune just nodded, hand clutching his scroll, and eyes focused on a single person.

_Any moment now…_

"He said acceptable… but what does it even mean? I mean, did we do good? We couldn't do bad, right? But was it like, 'barely passed', or 'full marks'?"

"What does he mean 'acceptable'! Does he know who I am? A Schnee don't do 'acceptable'!" Weiss exploded.

Jaune grinned, pulling out his scroll, and hitting the record button.

_She is so cute when she is mad…_

He thought, recording the ranting heiress. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Yang doing the same. The blond brawler winked at him with a smirk.

"Relax Weiss." He called when it looked like the white haired girl was about to have a stroke. "This isn't school, they don't give you any marks here. You either pass or don't - that is the only thing that matters."

The heiress glared at him, but calmed down a bit.

"Anyway, now that the formalities are out of way, we should get going. We will be setting off soon."

They nodded, and grabbed their bags. Jaune led them through the familiar corridors of Vale's Company main office, until they reached a bullhead landing pad. It was crowded, filled with rugged and armed people. Yang had to keep a good grip on Ruby's cloak to prevent the young Huntress from running off. She still ogled every new weapon she saw, earning a few chuckles from surrounding Hunters.

Soon after, the bullheads arrived. Both JNPR and RWBY boarded a single machine, and after everyone strapped themselves in, Jaune banged the back wall of the cockpit three times. Engines roared, and they flew off.

"Ok people, listen up. We will reach our destination in about three hours. We stay the night at camp, and move out in the morning. Operation starts at seven a.m., by then we have to be ready at our position, so we will be getting up early. If everything goes right, we will be done by sunset, if not we will continue the day after tomorrow. Now relax, and enjoy the ride."

 _So here we go. First joint mission of teams JNPR and RWBY._ He thought, looking over his friends, a small smile on his lips. Then the thought hit him, and with it, his smile died.

 _Please, don't turn into a disaster. Pretty please._ He thought, closing his eyes.

* * *

"Ugh, it's too early." Yang groaned.

"Its six a.m. It's not early." Blake pointed out.

"Maybe for you. But I need my beauty sleep, you know?" The blond complained, stiffing a yawn.

"Maybe if you would get to sleep when we told you to, instead of insisting we start telling ghost stories or other nonsense such like that,  _all_  of us could catch some more sleep." Weiss huffed, arms crossed.

Yang glanced at the heiress, and shrugged.

"You are just mad that you missed out on the eye candy."

The white haired girl gasped, and blushed slightly.

"That's just not true!"

"Yeah, yeah, no need to deny it Ice Queen. You were ogling your knight all morning."

"I wasn't!"

"Suuuuuuure. I'll pretend I believe that."

And she wasn't kidding about the eye candy. There were a lot of young and strong Hunters there. None of them were doing anything to show off, like the boys the night before initiation did. There were some who caught her eye, and she noticed a few of them look back. Not stare, just shooting her curious glances, nodding in approval, and then looking away. It was nice change from being ogled by hormonal teenagers.

Her eyes drifted to Jaune. The blond teen was standing at a nearby table, looking over some map, her sister next to him. She was a little shocked when she saw him emerge from his tent topless. Not because he was especially well built - even though he definitely had nothing to be ashamed of. No, it was because of the scars. There were a few small ones, but the one that caught her - and not only her - attention were four broad gashes on his chest. They were pale, not that different in color than rest of the skin, which made it clear they were old ones.

Yang briefly wondered how he got them. Hunters usually didn't have scars. Aura protected them from most damage, and usually healed what went through. And if a Hunter lost all his Aura? Well usually they walked out of it with a missing limb, or two, or didn't walked out at all.

Jaune and Ruby finished their little 'leader's meeting' and motioned them to come over.

"We will be stationed here." Jaune pointed at a green '7' on the map. "It's an exit from an old ventilation shaft. Too dangerous for a bullhead to fly there because of strong winds, so we will have to move on foot. Grab only the necessary things and camping equipment. We might have to stay overnight if operation drags out."

"We will be hiking for almost five kilometers through rocky terrain." Ruby took over "We decided on this path. We probably won't encounter any Grimm, but for safety, Blake, I want you to move a bit in front of us, act as scout." The black haired girl nodded. "Jaune and Pyrrha will be the head of our formation. Ren and Weiss will be in the center. Me and Nora will be the rear guard. Questions?"

"Yeah. When did my little sister grow up so much?" Yang teased, wiping a fake tear from her eye.

Ruby glared at her. Actually  _glared._  Yang would probably be impressed, if she wasn't so shocked.

"Yang, this is no time for jokes."

"She's right." Jaune looked them over, his face completely serious."We are in a combat zone, so I will be expecting everyone here to take it seriously."

They all nodded, and on Jaunes signal went out to prepare for the hour long track.

"He really changed, didn't he?"

Yang looked up to her partner, who was watching Jaune with a complicated expression.

"The moment we landed, he changed. It's like someone flipped a switch." Blake met her eyes. "I'm not imagining it, am I?"

"Well, it would make two of us then." Yang agreed.

Her partner was right. Gone was Jaune 'Dork-knight' Arc, her favorite teasing target, not counting Ruby. He changed into Jaune 'Badass Witcher' Arc. He acted differently than at Beacon. He stood a bit straighter, walked and spoke with more confidence. His eyes were sharp, focused. He really reminded her of her dad and uncle. He wasn't quite there yet, he lacked a certain... edge they had, Bbt he was close, definitely closer than any other first year at Beacon.

She watched with a smile as Ruby ran up to him with the map, explaining something. He was nodding along, chin cupped in one hand. From time to time he asked something, or pointed some spot on the map. At first she was worried her little sister would be put off by her friend's sudden change, but it looked like she didn't need to worry. Ruby not only wasn't put off, she even become more focused herself. Gone was her social awkwardness and dorkiness.

Part of her, a big part, was proud and happy.

The other part though couldn't help but notice how close she was standing to Jaune, how often their hands brushed. And how much Ruby stared at Jaune's naked chest this morning.

It looked like she would have to keep a close eye on her little sister.

* * *

"So, this is the place?"

Blake nodded.

"Yes. I checked it out, the exit form shaft is hidden behind those bushes." She said, pointing at a green spot, about ten meters up the grey, rocky wall form the place they stood.

Jaune hummed, stroking his chin.

"Any chance we can climb there and fight them in that tunnel?"

"No. It starts going down right behind the edge, and it's an almost vertical drop. Plus its narrow, I had to bend a little to fit in."

The blond Hunter nodded.

" So, I guess we just wait down here, and let them come to us."

"Should I take the high ground? If I climb one of these trees, I would have a clean shot at the entrance." Asked Ruby.

Jaune considered it for a moment, then shook his head.

"Too risky. You would be clearly visible, and Ghoul could lunge far enough to reach those trees." He looked over his surrounding and shrugged.

"I guess we just hide, and wait. If any come out, we take it out."

They spread out, each looking for a hiding spot that would let them rest at least somewhat comfortably. Jaune pulled out his scroll, reported that they were ready, and joined Ruby behind the trunk of some tree.

"So, now we wait?" The young Huntress asked.

"Now we wait. Two more groups have yet to report in, but it should start soon."

As if on cue, the muffled sound of gunfire reached them. They tensed, and they relaxed, realizing it was far away. Minutes passed, mostly in silence. After a hour or so, Ruby shot a glance at her fellow team leader. He was focused on the spot where entrance to shaft was supposed to be, as he was the whole time. Ruby doubted he looked away from it for even a moment.

She bit her lip, uncertain of what to do. She really wanted to ask him a few things, but should she? Wasn't talking during a mission some sort of taboo? But Jaune didn't seem bothered when she wanted to talk with him back in the camp, so maybe it was ok as long as she asked Hunter related stuff?

"Hey, Jaune…"

His hand shot up, pressing on small communication device in his ear.

"Yeah?" He listened for a moment, then nodded.

"Roger."

He stood up, drawing Eclipse.

"Get up everyone, we have hostiles inbound to our location."

They all shot to their feet, reading their weapons.

"How many?" sked Pyrrha, standing next to Jaune.

"Five. Folks from the clean up team say they developed some kind of armor on their backs. Not too tough, but something to watch out for. Listen, Ghouls can see in the dark, but they need a bit of adjustment time when going somewhere well lit. Plus, they are not very good at climbing down, so they'll probably just tumble down. They will be disoriented, and that's when we will get them. Weiss, try to immobilize at least one. Just remember that they have very strong legs. Ruby?"

"Yes?"

"You think you will be able to hit them when they are falling?"

She stared at him.

"Sorry, of course you can. Let the first four out, we don't want them to realize we are there until the last moment. Shoot the last one when he stumbles out, try to aim for the belly. And if you manage to shoot their legs, it would make the fifth much easier."

She nodded, and readied Crescent Rose.

"The rest of us will just charge them. Ruby's the only one here with gun powerful enough to damage them. And no, you can't use your grenades Nora." The ginger girl pouted, but didn't argue.

"Everyone ready?" They shouted out their confirmation. They could not hear the sound of claws scraping on the stone.

"Here they come. We go in when Ruby shoots."

The first Ghoul fell out of the hidden shaft, and crashed down heavily. It curled up, letting out a strange, whistling noise.

Ruby shifted uncomfortably, it sounded awfully close to crying.

The next one come out more carefully. It peeked outside, and backed out, as if hurt by the sunlight. It soon jumped out though. It fell with far more grace than the first one, but still landed heavily and curled up.

Ruby risked a quick look around. Most of them looked as uncomfortable as her, hearing the strange noises those Ghouls let out. Ren, Jaune and Blake seemed to be only ones unbothered by it.

The third one fell off, followed quickly by forth. The fifth one peeked outside. It looked to hesitate, then tried to climb down the slope. It didn't cover even a tenth of distance to ground before falling.

Crescent Rose sang.

Two of the four monsters on the ground perked up, one standing at its full height. It let out a loud, screeching noise. Moments later his legs started to cover in ice. It struggled to break free, but ice kept coming, eventually freeing it from the waist down.

"Ruby." Jaune calmly called out.

She nodded, took aim, and fired again.

The second Ghoul, who got to its feet, stumbled, and fell down. The remaining two got on all fours, and started running.

_Fast…_

Ruby thought, talking aim at the next one. She noticed how its legs tensed, and recalled Jaune's lesson. Not even second after she used her Semblance to dash up, something big crashed into the spot she was just a moment before.

Jaune and Pyrrha were already upon it, hacking and slashing. She could see Nora preparing to join in, Ren close behind. She landed on a branch and scanned the battlefield. Blake and Weiss took on the last healthy Ghoul, and were doing fine. Thanks to their Semblances, they were able to keep it disoriented, and scored hit after hit.

The fifth one was lying on the ground, not moving. The one she shot was getting to its feet, and stalking towards the two fighting girls. They didn't see him, too focused on their fight.

The Ghoul, too focused on his prey, didn't notice the yellow meteor that crashed into him. Yang's punch sent it flying back, and crashing into the mountain's side. She followed soon after, pummeling it with a flurry of punches.

After making sure the frozen one was still immobilized, she took aim at the one lying on the ground. A high caliber bullet went into its chest, from the side, no doubt turning any internal organs into mush. Ruby winced a little when she noticed the splatter of blood.

Grimm didn't bleed, not like that at least. It looked much more…

She shook her head, dispelling the thought. They were monsters, nothing more.

A quick look over the battlefield confirmed that the fight was almost over. Jaune's team easily dispatched their Ghoul, while Blake finished hers, after Weiss locked its limbs with ice.

The only one left was the frozen one, and the heiress was walking towards him confidently. Ruby could hear the hum of her glyph forming, and then her partner turned into a white blur, piercing the heart of Harrowed, and ending the fight.

After confirming all the Ghouls were dead, they gathered in the circle. Jaune looked over them and sighed.

"So? What's your impression after your first encounter with Harrowed?"

"It was… strange. Somehow different than fighting Grimm." said Blake.

"Yeah. It's not about how they moved, or looked. It just felt… I don't know." Yang shook her head.

Jaune smiled, but it was a sad smile.

"It didn't felt natural, did it? You guys felt conflicted about killing them."

They looked at each other, surprised.

"Yes… I think you are right." Ren nodded slowly. "But why? They are monsters, like Grimm. What's the difference?"

Jaune sighed, drawing Eclipse once more.

"They are monsters." He agreed, walking towards the nearest Ghoul." But they are not like Grimm." His black blade pierced its black chest. They gasped in shock, but any question stopped when blond boy started reciting some kind of chant… or was it a prayer?

"I am Guide for the damned,

I am the Ferryman of lost souls.

With this blade I release yours, dear Friend.

I will cut down the chains of sorrow that bind you,

I will vanquish the fear that crushes you.

I will bring you peace."

They watched in amazement as the blackness faded from corpse. It shifted, morphed, and when the last word left Jaune's mouth, it was no longer a monster lying before them, but a human. Heavily deformed, but definitely human.

"Grimm, are true monsters. Every person knows this. This goes deeper than simple knowledge. They are the antithesis of life. If you face Grimm, you know without any doubt that one of you will die, because you and it cannot possibly exist together. That's why killing them is easy. They are...  _wrong,_ something that shouldn't exists."

Jaune looked at them, recalling the words Leon said to him, what felt like a lifetime ago.

"Harrowed however, they are people. Tormented people. They might look deformed,and monstrous, but there is something about them that remains human. You can feel it. And then you start to wonder. 'Am I doing right thing? Is killing them necessary? Maybe there is another way to help them?'"

He sighed, remaining silent for a few moments.

"There is no other way. They are dead, and the best,  _only_  thing we can do for them, is to help them move on. Release them from the torment of this cursed existence."

He looked every one of them in the eye.

"This is what it means to be a Witcher. If you want to follow this path, you have to ask yourself, if you can…" he stopped when his scroll signalled an incoming call.

With a frown, he picked it up. It deepened when he noticed who was calling.

"Boss?"

"Team Seven, what is your status?"

"We just finished cleaning up the Ghouls that ran towards us. No casualties. On our side that is."

"Good, then get back to the main camp. We got a problem."

With this, the call ended.

 _Fuck my life._ Thought Jaune, urging his friend to move out.

* * *

**Poor Jaune, he just can't get a break. What kind of mess did he get himself - and his friends - into this time?**

**And here is omake:**

* * *

"Sooo… how old are you anyway?" Asked Jaune one evening. They were camping out in a small cave. Well, calling it that was too generous, it was more of small dent in the mountain wall. But it did provide cover from the wind and rain.

Leon looked up at him from his plate.

"What brought that question up?"

Jaune chuckled nervously.

"I guess I'm just curious?"

Leon considered him for a moment, then shrugged.

"No idea."

Jaune blinked.

"Pardon me?"

"I have no idea how old I am." With a sigh Leon put his plate down.

"My oldest memory is living in a small, wooden cabin in the woods somewhere in northern Vale. The only other person I knew for most of my life was some old guy. I called him Gramps, though I don't know if we were related, or not. It didn't matter in the end."

"He didn't speak much, but he taught me many things. Letters and numbers. How to hunt, how to hide from bigger predators. How to fight Grimm. We didn't have TV, or anything like that. No real way to measure time either. Not that we needed it. One day he handed me a backpack, and said it's time for me to move out. I think I was younger than when we first met back then. He pointed one direction, said there is village there, and that I needed to start living with other people."

Leon paused for a moment, lost in thought.

"I came back week later. Buried his body, and burned the hut down. Gramps wanted me to move out, to people, because he knew I had little chance to survive on my own there. But it wasn't easy out there either. Got robbed a few times, forced to join a few gangs. But I think the worst was starving. And the cold. One of gangs that caught me dealt in human trafficking, and they shipped me to Atlas. Was rough there, but I meet some good people. Old man, remained me of Gramps. I think he was even someone important, even though his home was small and always messy. He took care of me, gave me chance in life. A purpose. He's still alive and kicking, old fart, always coming up with new crazy things."

Jaune could only stare. Then shook his head, and started asking about today's sparring. Leon neither wanted, nor needed his pity. If a man never had any real family? Well, Jaune had seven sisters. One brother certainly sounded nice.

* * *

**And here it is, a bit of backstory for Leon.**


	28. Hands On Learning

**Here comes ch 27.**

* * *

Jaune's mind raced, as they ran down the rocky path as fast as they dared. What could have happened? Did one of the parties get wiped out? No, they should have been able to call help if something went wrong. Was the main camp attacked by Grimm or bandits? There were ten Hunters there on guard duty, so it would have to be a really big group to warrant calling lookouts down. Plus, he hadn't heard any sounds of combat through the scroll, so that probably wasn't it.

Maybe the expedition party ran into trouble? It was a twenty person strong group, all of them experienced Witchers, some of whom Jaune worked with in the past. There was no way that they would be overwhelmed by Ghouls. They might have run into something more dangerous, maybe some kind of invisible Wraith, or Aberration… But he knew for sure at least two people there had techniques to detect invisible enemies. It was hard to imagine any Harrowed could wipe out a group that big out.

Then again, it didn't have to be a monster. The mine hadn't been used for years. Maybe some of the support pillars had weakened, and were broken in the fight? Several tons of rock falling on your head would easily take out any Hunter, no matter how much Aura you had.

Should he send Ruby ahead? With her Semblance, she could reach camp much faster than any of them, and she didn't have to worry about tripping and falling. But what if camp was under attack? If it was Grimm, Ruby would be fine, but if it was a large horde of Harrowed, or worse - bandits…

Was Ruby ready to fight humans? Seriously fight them? He didn't doubt she could knock someone out. Even if she went against adults, and was outnumbered, he was sure she could wreck a small bandit tribe on her own without breaking a sweat.

But how would she react when the killing started? If someone attacked a camp guarded by Hunters, they had to have some kind of advantage. Either numbers, military grade weapons, or Aura users of their own.

The memory of his first kill flashed in his mind. He lost something that day, he knew that. Leon knew too, even though they didn't talk about it too much. What terrified Jaune the most was not fact he had killed, but how… unbothered by it he was. He knew that killing a person was something wrong, and that he should feel  _something._ But he just didn't. Not then, not after.

When he told Leon about it, his teacher said it was probably because Jaune didn't think about those he killed as people. It helped get the job done, but was risky.

"We are supposed to kill monsters, no matter how many legs they walk on, or if they can speak. Just watch out to not become one of them along the way." Were his words.

Jaune winced. He wasn't bothered by it anymore, but somehow doubted his friend could accept killing others so easily.

 _Well, no point in over thinking it._ Thought Jaune, jumping over a fallen tree.

He would get his answers when he gets back to the camp. He just hoped he wouldn't be too late to help.

* * *

The first thing Jaune noticed when he and his friends burst into the clearing where the main camp was located, was that it was still standing. The second was the makeshift barricade in front of entrance to the mine. Third - numerous bodies, thankfully, all belonging to Ghouls.

"Go to the barricade, see if they need help. If not, go grab something to eat, but be ready to fight at anytime. Ruby, you are in charge until I come back."

The red Huntress nodded, and sprinted away, followed by the rest of his friends. Jaune made his way to the big tent in the center of the camp.

"What happened?"

He asked as soon as he was inside. There were five people inside. The man that hired them all, and four Hunters that Jaune recognized as part of his escort.

"The thing is, we're not sure." The older man said with sigh. "I got contacted by team Alpha that there were some complications. Moments later there was an explosion, and we haven't had word from them since. Not long after, some Ghouls started to run out of mine. At first there were only a few, but the number kept increasing. That's why I had to call down some of the lookout teams."

Jaune cursed. None of the Witchers form team Alpha would be stupid enough to use explosives against Ghouls. In the depths of a long abandoned mine nonetheless.

"Are we sending a rescue party?"

"I'm not sure we can afford it. It's calm now, but more Ghouls can come in anytime. I already called in some reinforcements." He paused for a moment, looking at Jaune.

"Say, kid. You have a sniper on that team of yours, right?"

Jaune nodded, confused.

"Thing is, after I called down the lookouts…"

"Sir, Alpha team returned!" Someone called out from outside.

Everyone in the tent relaxed, the boss letting out a relieved sigh.

"Bring the team lead to me. Any casualties?"

"No. Just a few scratches and burns."

A few moments later, a surprisingly young looking man with platinum blond hair and light armor entered the tent. Beside some dirt on his clothes and face, he looked unharmed.

"What happened?" Their employee cut straight to the case.

"We ran into a fire Wraith not fully formed yet, but it was sending out waves of fire from time to time. Before we could decide what to do, something exploded. Not sure what, but probably some old mining explosives, or maybe Dust. We decided to not check out if there were any more, and retreated."

"Shit." Their boss eloquently summed up. Jaune couldn't agree more. Fighting a fire Wraith in an enclosed space? When there was potentially some old explosives just lying around? Not his definition of fun.

"What are the chances it will come out to us?" Jaune asked.

"Small. It was pretty deep inside."

The blond boy let out a tired sigh.

"So we gotta go and deal with it in its lair? Great."

"Well, me might not have to. One of my men said he can try and make some bait. Hopefully it will lure the Wraith out."

Jaune blinked, surprised.

"Bait? I didn't know you could make bait for Wraiths."

The other Witcher shrugged.

"Neither did I. You learn something new every day, don't you?"

Jaune nodded, a smile slowly appearing on his lips.

_Bait for Wraiths? Now that's something I would like to learn how to do._

"Yeah, you are right. Am I needed for anything? If not, I will go back to my team before they mess something up." He said aloud.

His temporary boss hummed, considering him for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, not anymore. We will... Wait, did you have any Ghoul encounters up there?"

Jaune nodded.

"Five. All taken care of."

"Good. You can go now."

Jaune nodded and left. He found his friends manning the barricade, weapons at the ready. He quickly explained the situation to them, and left to look for the mysterious bait-maker. Who knows? Maybe he would be willing to share his recipe?

* * *

"What are you reading?" Asked Ruby, peeking over Jaune's shoulder.

"Just some notes I took." The blond answered with a smile. After proving that he wouldn't blow himself up, the older WItcher was willing to teach Jaune how to make the Harrowed bait. It was much more complicated than he expected, but he was certain he would manage somehow. And a few tricks that he learned along the way should prove helpful in his own research.

Jaune smiled. So far this little job proved to be a very good idea. The fire Wraith was a complication, but not as bad as it might be. So far there were no casualties on their side, not even serious injuries.

 _So far, so good._ Thought Jaune, closing his notebook and stretching.

"So… we just wait now?" Asked Ruby, sitting next to him.

"Yep."

She sighed.

"Something wrong?" Jaune asked.

"No… it's just that there is a lot more waiting that I thought."

He chuckled.

"Let me guess - you thought we'd burst in there, guns blazing, killing monsters by the dozen?"

She blushed and pouted.

Jaune laughed.

"Unfortunately, this is what it usually looks like. Leon always said that the most important trait for a Witcher is patience. Hunting Harrowed takes time, since unlike Grimm they won't just charge at you head-on. There is usually a lot of preparation that needs to be done. Investigating terrain, figuring out what type of Harrowed you are dealing with, how many of them there are, and so on. It can sometimes take weeks of investigations before you even start hunting. And then you might spend a few weeks more trying to track one down."

"That's sound a lot less exciting than I thought…"

Jaune shrugged.

"That's life for you."

She hummed in agreement.

"Hey, guys, hate to interrupt your alone time, but I need to ask something." A new voice sounded from behind them. They turned around, seeing the leader of team Alpha approaching them.

"Jaune Arc, right?" He asked, extending his hand.

Jaune shook the offered hand.

"Yeah. And you are…?"

"Ash. Your company profile says you have some sort of Aura vision?"

Jaune nodded.

"Can you be lookout? Tell us when the Wraith starts forming? We have a lot of firepower here, with a bit of luck we should be able to take it out before it fully forms."

"Sure thing. When are we starting.

Ash shrugged.

"As soon as the bait is ready. Shouldn't be too long now."

"Got it."

Jaune got up and stretched.

"Let's join up with the rest. There are a few things we need to discuss before the fighting starts."

* * *

"So? Any sign of it showing up?" Asked Ash.

Jaune shook his head.

"Not yet."

The older man nodded, and ran off when someone called him.

"So, Ladykiller, what was this important thing you wanted to tell us?"

Jaune didn't turn, his attention focused on the area in front of him.

"We are about to face a fire Wraith. There isn't time for me to get in too much detail, so here is what you need to know. Wraiths are very different from Ghouls. Unless you know  _exactly_  what to do, you should never fight one, at least not in melee. Every Wraith has a bunch of special abilities, one of them being the ability to drain Aura from their surroundings. You can resist it with some practice, but since you guys have none, you need to keep your distance. At least twenty five meters, thirty to be safe."

"Got it. Anything else we should know?" Asked Ruby.

"Wraiths are very agile, it's hard to damage them with guns. Explosives work better, but be careful to not hit a friend. They can turn incorporeal, making them immune to most attacks, but also greatly reducing their attack power. They use it mainly to escape, or to close distance when attacking from range."

"So, what's the plan?" Asked Yang.

Jaune's muscles tensed when he noticed small bits of Aura flowing out of the mine entrance. When they didn't start to consolidate into a Wraith, he relaxed.

"There is a brief moment, just before it fully forms, when it is vulnerable to damage, but can't yet use its abilities. Sometime it's a few seconds, sometimes it's just half of one. If we're lucky, we might be able to take it out then. On my signal, just shoot it."

"And how will we know what to shoot?"

Jaune smirked.

"When you see a giant fireball pop out of thin air, that starts taking on a vaguely humanoid shape, that's probably it."

Yang chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Get ready, it's coming!" Jaune suddenly shouted.

* * *

It happened in an instant.

One moment she was looking at an empty space between them and entrance to the mine, the next it all exploded in flames. Blake barely had time to take aim at the center of the inferno, before the flames congregated in one spot, forming the Wraith. Or at least she assumed that's what it was. Judging by what Jaune had said earlier, it probably was. It took barley a second for it to form fully, and the Harrowed let out a loud screech.

She heard someone curse, and judging by how everyone lowered their weapons, she guessed that the opportunity to shoot it was gone.

"So, what now?"

Jaune shrugged.

"Now we watch. It's bad idea to send too many people to fight a Wraith. They can attack a wide area, and the more people that are close to them, the more Aura they will be able to drain."

Blake noticed four people move into the empty space between them and the Harrowed, each with a black sword in hand. It noticed them almost instantly, letting out a low, humming sound.

The four men tensed, but kept moving forward. When they were about ten meters away from the Wraith, the sound stopped.

Instantly, every Witcher jumped to the side, narrowly dodging pillars of fire that erupted in the spots where they had just been.

"Like I said earlier, fighting a Wraith is very different than fighting Ghouls, or Grimm. They have a bunch of special abilities that you need to either counter, or dodge. That's why you can split fighting a Wraith into three phases. First one is testing. You take it slow, keep your distance, only throw attacks from time to time. What you focus on is observing the Wraith. Every special attack they make is telegraphed in some way. There are slight differences between each Wraith, but once you fight a few, you can guess when they are about to pull something."

Blake nodded. It made sense, especially when she saw how the four Witchers acted. They moved in unison, as if the whole fight was choreographed. This continued for about a minute.

"Now, the second phase - damaging. Thing about Wraiths is, since they continuously drain your Aura, you can't afford to drag the fight for too long. With some practice, you can learn how to resist this effect, but you can never eliminate it completely. On the other hand, if you go at it too aggressively, you not only risk taking a lot of damage from its attacks, but also letting it escape. If you damage a Wraith too much too fast, it will just turn into mist and run away, so you need to set the right tempo. Not too fast, not too slow."

"There are different ways to approach this, it really depends on person, their weapon, and how the Wraith acts. But the most important thing is to judge how much damage you are doing to it. One way to do so is by its attacks. When it uses..."

Jaune suddenly paused, turned away from the battle and covered his ears. Seeing as everyone else did the same, Blake followed his example.

She had only a second to wonder if she should somehow cover her additional pair too, before the wave of sound hit her. It was the most terrible noise she ever heard in her life. She felt as if her soul was being ripped out of her body. It only lasted for a moment, and when it ended, Blake realized she was kneeling, something wet dripping from her nose. She tried to get up, but her vision swam. She staggered, and would have fallen if someone hadn't held her.

"You ok?"

She looked up at the blond team leader.

"Y-yeah. What the hell was that?"

Jaune shrugged.

"One of the most annoying skills of Wraiths. They start using it when they are heavily damaged. Leon used to call it a 'rage attack'."

She nodded, lifting a hand to wipe her face. It came away stained red, and only then Blake realized her nose was bleeding. She looked back at her friends, noticing most of them had shocked expressions, similar to her. The only ones seemingly to not be affected by the attack were Jaune, which was not a surprise, and Ren, which was a bit of a surprise.

"Beside this scream..." Jaune continued, once all of them regained their bearings. "Another way to judge the damage you are doing is to observe the Wraith's color. The pailer they are, the more damage they've taken. So, when they get to be almost white, it's time to go for the killing blow. If you are using a normal weapon, that is. With a black sword, you only need to stab it, and keep the blade in its body for a few seconds. Of course it's hard to do when the Wraith is at full strength, so weakening it first is a good idea."

A loud scream announced the end of the fight. From what Blake had seen, two Witchers worked together to draw the weakened Wraith's attention, while the remaining two backed off, and circled behind the creature. When it got distracted, they sprinted forward, burying their swords in its back.

The Wraith's flames burst out, and disappeared, leaving only its transparent shape. Its pained, angry scream slowly faded away, as did its body, turning into motes of white light. After just a few seconds, the Wraith was gone. Blake could have sworn she heard a relieved gasp from the creature, just before it disappeared.

"It's over?" Ruby asked. Her voice was only a whisper, and somehow Blake thought it appropriate.

"Yes."Jaune said with nod. "The Wraith is gone. But I guess we still have some Ghouls to deal with."

"Damn right you do." Blake had to force herself to not scowl at the man that just passed her. Not only was he techincialy her employer now, but it would be also rude to act hostile towards someone who never harmed her in any way. Afterall, not every mine owner was exploiting Faunus.

"I ran some numbers, and based on your reports, at least a hundred Ghouls still sit in there." He looked up at the darkening sky, and shook his head.

"But I guess we'll have to deal with it tomorrow. Ash?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Keep at least two people on the watch at the entrance. Also, send some lookouts to the spots we called people from. I don't want any of those Ghouls to run away."

"Understood."

"Ok people, you have earned your rest. Unfortunately, we will have to camp through the night."

A few groans sounded.

"Fortunately, because I like to be prepared, A bullhead with food and a few good cooks should be here shortly. So at very least you will have a decent meal.

A lot of cheers sounded.

* * *

The second day passed without any incident. They were stationed at the same spot as the previous day. Ghouls started to show up much faster now, and new groups were appearing often. Not often enough to push them too hard, but often enough to keep them on alert the whole time.

After five hours, it was over. They returned to the main camp exhausted, more from having to stay on alert all this time than from fighting. After a quick meal, and some debriefing, they boarded the first bullhead back to Vale.

"Ok guys, I need to take care of a few formalities. I'll see you back in Beacon, ok?" Jaune said as soon as they landed.

They nodded, and boarded another bullhead, this one with the Beacon logo on its side. The trip was short, and they spent most of their time in idle chatter. Though their mood dropped a bit when they saw who was waiting for them at Beacon's air docks.

"Welcome back students. I hope your trip went well?" Asked Glynda Goodwitch.

Seeing as no one else was saying anything, and her traitorous sister pushed her in front of their little group, Ruby gulped and nodded.

"Y-yeah. It went well."

"I see." She looked them over, with a stern expression. Which was her normal expression, Ruby guessed.

"Mr. Arc didn't come back with you?"

"No.. Yes! I mean… he did come back with us to Vale, but then he said he had something to take care of, and he went off, and told us we would meet back at Beacon, and… yeah." She finished lamely. And still, none of her so called 'friends' came forward to help her. Traitors, every last one of them. Jaune was the only one she could count on!

"I see. Well then, when he comes back, please tell him to visit my office." She nodded once towards them and walked away.

Ruby frowned. Jaune didn't get into any trouble, did he?

* * *

"Now, Ladykiller, what did you want to talk about?" Asked Yang, leaning on a desk in the unused classroom that had become Jaune and Ren's laboratory.

The blond laughed nervously, trying to not stare at her cleavage. Yang was honestly amazed by how different Jaune was on the mission, compared to how he acted at Beacon. It was almost as if he become a different person.

"Well… I wanted to talk a bit more about Wraiths." He said, rubbing the back of his head, his usual dorky smile in place.

_Now, which one of you is real the Jaune? Dork Knight or Badass Witcher?_

It didn't really matter, she supposed. What did matter was the squirming blond boy in front of her. She pouted, and looked him in the eyes..

"That's all? You call me out here to talk about monsters? I thought it would be something different..." she lowered her voice to quiet whisper, but kept it loud enough for him to still hear her words.

"Yang…"

"I mean, you call me out here alone, saying you have something important to tell me, a girl will get her hopes up, you know?"

A cough from behind her made Yang sigh. Couldn't they stay quiet? Didn't they see she was working?

"Xiao-long, I would appreciate if you kept your fantasies to yourself. If Jaune wants to share some knowledge with us, I for one would like to hear it."

Yang rolled her eyes. Leave it to Weiss to ruin the mood.

"Yeah Yang. Stop your flirting and let Jaune speak."

Yang shook her head. And now Ice Princess was corrupting her adorable little sister.

"Fine, fine. So, you heard the nerds over there Ladykiller. Speak up."

Jaune sighed, shaking his head.

"Ok, I just thought it would be good if you understood what makes Ghouls and Wraiths so different. But to explain that, I need to go over how Harrowed are created first."

He sat on one of the desks, considering something for a few moments.

"In order for Harrowed to appear, a person has to die surrounding by a lot of negativity. It can come from said person, or from those around them. It can even be from the place they died."

"The place? How does that even work?" Asked Weiss.

Jaune chuckled.

"No idea. But it was confirmed that Harrowed appear more often in places where some great tragedy struck, even years after it happened. Old battlefields, towns struck by plagues, and so on. Not everyone who dies in such place will turn into Harrowed, but there is much greater chance they will."

"If the amount of negativity in the moment of death is high enough, the bits of Aura remaining in the body will become corrupted. What kind of Harrowed will appear, depends largely on what condition the body is in. It's not one hundred percent accurate, but as a general rule, if it was damaged to the point it can't move anymore, it will turn into a Wraith, otherwise it will be a Ghoul. And that is where all the differences come from."

"Ghouls are basically a dead body. Corrupted Aura makes it retain basic consciousness, and something akin to survival instinct. We know Ghouls will hunt regularly, and weaken greatly if left to starve, but we are unsure if they can die from starvation. Wraiths on the other hand, are basically sentient Aura. They do not have physical bodies, instead they gatherer Aura from their surroundings in order to take a more material form. There is a legend, among some folks, that if a Wraith gathered enough Aura, it would come back to life. It's untrue, of course."

"What you should keep in mind, is that even if you kill a Wraiths body, it's not gone. Its… I guess you could call it 'essence' will remain, allowing it to reform. It could take weeks, months, or even years, but it will be back eventually. In order to get rid of it for good, you need to purge their essence. There are two methods. Witchers use a special Dust mix, and burn it at the place Wraith spawns, or use black sword to kill it." He smiled, patting his own, lying in next to him. "The second method is prefered one, since with the first one you can never know for sure if you succeeded. "

"Question!" Nora shouted, raising one hand.

"Yes?"

"If those black swords are so convenient, why doesn't everyone use them? I know you said they are expensive, and hard to make, but still they sound useful. And when I asked one guy back at camp, he said, and I quote, 'I don't want to carry a thing that devours my soul'."

"Devour your soul?' Weiss repeated, and scoffed. " Please, Nora, he was cleary playing with you. Right, Jaune?"

The blond laughed nervously.

Weiss' eyes narrowed.

"Jaune? Explain."

"Well…" he ran a hand through his hair. "That statement is… not  _entirely_  inaccurate?

"Why did you phrase that as a question?" Weiss growled, then sighed and shook her head.

"Nevermind. Just stop dodging the question, and tell us already."

"Ok, just don't freak out too much ok? You remember when I said that those swords are very Aura sensitive?" He waited for them to confirm before continuing. "So the thing is, they are so sensitive that just carrying them around will drain your Aura. Not by much, but it's there."

"But that's not all, right?" Asked Pyrrha.

"Yeah" Jaune sighed, and drew Eclipse. "Another thing is that if you put enough Aura into it…' the sword in him his hand started humming, black mist flowing out of the blade. "Some interesting things start to happen."

They watched in fascination as the sword changed. Some of the black mist settled on Jaune's arm, but most of it was surrounded by a soft, white light and compressed. A few seconds later, the transformation was complete. Eclipse's blade was pitch black, as if it absorbed all light, And it didn't look like a solid piece of steel - instead it swirled around, like smoke trapped in a container.

That container appeared to be a soft glow surrounding blade.

"Well…" Yang trailed off "At least now we know why you called it 'Eclipse'."

Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah. And just to make it even more fitting - the day I finished it, there was a solar eclipse." Jaune said, slowly waving his sword around. "Anyway, this white glow you see is actually my Aura. In this form, the sword can get into reaction with any other Aura source. This allows me, for example, to drain the corrupted Aura of a Harrowed, or Ghoul, and absorb it. After some time, depending on how much I absorbed, my own Aura will… cleanse the corrupted one."

"Wait, wait, wait" Yang shook her head. "You want to tell me, this thing," she pointed at sword Jaune was holding. "Can literally drain out, and absorb Aura? The thing that is basically our soul?"

"Yep."

"That's... creepy as hell, you know that?"

Jaune chuckled.

"That's the same thing I said to Leon when he explained it to me. But it's also best way to deal with Harrowed, so, yeah. And as added benefit, it increases my Aura pool."

Yang blinked, then shook her head.

"Really? Is it why you have so much of it?"

"Only partially. It's not like I gain a lot. Ghouls have next to no Aura in them. Wraiths have more, but I can't absorb all of it, most of it gets dispersed. Plus, I have to use my own Aura to cleanse the corrupted one, so it's bad idea to absorb a lot. All in all, after two years of hunting Harrowed, what I gained is barley noticeable. So no, it's not some super-secret, dark way of gaining ultimate power."

"Awwwww, and I got my hopes up." Nora whined, before perking up. "But If one killed tons of baddies then…"

"Well, you could, but there are downsides to absorbing Aura from Harrowed. Besides the fact you will be weakened until you cleanse what you absorbed, you also absorb Harrowed essence. So the very thing that turned the dying person into a monster."

"You mean…" Pyrrha began slowly.

"Fear. Pain. Hatred. Sometimes other things, like loneliness. Very rarely, fragments of memories from the time they lived."

"Ok, I changed my mind. It's not creepy. It's super creepy." Yang said after a few moments of silence.

"So is this how you made the Ghouls turn back to humans so fast? Your books said it can take hours, or even days, but after you stabbed them, it took only few seconds." Asked Ruby.

"That's right. It's not necessary, but…" Jaune shrugged. "I like to think that it brings them some kind of peace. That they don't have to be monsters for any longer. A bit lame, I know, but..."

"No, I think It's cool." The red Huntress said with a smile. "Especially the chant you were saying!"

Jaune laughed.

"Really? Well I came up with it like a year and a half ago. Me and Leon hunted down a Ghoul, a young one, it still looked mostly human. When we did get it… well,I just felt like I should say something."

"Ok!" Yang clapped her hands, standing up. "No more gloomy talk. It's Sunday! Let's go do something fun!"

"Like, for example, our homework? I'm pretty sure you still have some left." Weiss called out.

Yang hummed, and nodded to herself.

"Ok, so let's get back to gloomy talk. It sounds much more fun than the alternative."

Jaune smiled, watching the two girls banter. Eventually Yang gave up, and both teams left the classroom. The blond team leader smiled. He hadn't planned on revealing details about the black swords to his friends just yet, but they took it better than he expected.

His eyes focused on one person in particular. Now, should he do something, or leave it be? Did he even needed to do anything?

The ringing of his scroll broke him out of his thoughts.

"Something happen?" Asked Pyrrha, a hint of worry in her voice. Jaune didn't blame her. Considering most of the messages and calls he received in the past few weeks ended up getting him in trouble, he even felt a bit of worry when he opened his scroll.

He frowned when he noticed the sender was one of his sisters. With resigned sigh, he opened the message.

It contained only two words, but it was enough to bring broad smile on his lips.

* * *

**So here it is. A bit more info about Harrowed, and about the black swords some Witchers use. And what is this mysterious message Jaune received? Could it be good news? Certainly it's not more trouble?**

* * *

**Feeling the Rainbow**

He was vaguely aware of the nagging thought that you couldn't actually  _feel_ colors, but it was quickly quieted by just how amazing the purple on the scarf in front of him felt.

It felt like a silk...but more...silky.

Apparently, what his new Elixir did not do was make him a poet. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. What was it supposed to do again? Something about Harrowed…

Really, it didn't matter. He had purple, and that's what mattered. He wasn't sure how long he stayed there, caressing the color with his eyes and hands. Minutes? Hours? Days? It didn't matter, he had pur-

"Um, can I help you, or do I need to call security?" A feminine voice called from behind him.

He growled as he turned, ready to give this interloper a piece of his mind. Didn't she understand how special purple was? How Important it was? Didn't she know that purple-

-Was bullshit compared to the vision that greeted him. Brown. So much impossibly warm and beautiful brown, calling to him and soothing his soul.

The girl wearing it was ok too he guessed.

"Wow." He mouthed in awe.

She hummed as she looked at him over her glasses. "Yeah, I get that reaction a lot. Now, I ask again, do you need help, or should I leave you and the scarf alone? Just know that you're paying for it if you get past second base."

How could she think he'd cheat on brown with that dirty, filthy purple? Brown was so perfect. They were meant to be together. He slowly reached out a hand to touch the majestic brown that she swatted away.

"Yeah, calling security is started to look real good."

Maybe he just hadn't explained it properly.

"Brown..." He articulated.

She sighed. "It's Coco actually."

He gasped, it was too perfect. "Your name is a color!"

She cocked her head to the side. "Yeah, all of our names are."

"My name is a color?" He whispered, staring at his hands in wonder.

"You ok kid?"

He shook his head frantically. How could he be? He wasn't able to touch brown. He pointed dumbly to her blouse.

"It's so beautiful!"

She gave him a small smile, pinching at the material. "Yeah? This old thing? I've always liked it, but I'm honestly surprised you noticed. Most guys aren't too concerned with the clothes a girl has on, they're focused on what she's left off, if you catch my drift."

He wasn't too sure about drifts, unless it involved driftwood, which was also brown his brain told him. He was sure of one thing though, if those boys couldn't appreciate the glory that was brown, then…

"They're dumb." He stated confidently.

She chuckled. "Yeah, I think so too." She smirked. "You're not so bad blondie. Weird...but not bad."

Good, the keeper of the brown approved of him.

"Can I touch it?" He pleaded, his hand already reaching out again, before she caught his wrist.

Nooooooo!

"Let's call that a third date type thing, yeah?"

He groaned, and she laughed.

"I get off a seven, want to try you luck at getting the first one out of the way?"

Yes! He'd do anything to be near brown.

The girl was ok too he guessed.

"Yes!" He cried.

She grinned and looked at him over her glasses. "My, my, aren't we eager? How does coffee sound?"

Coffee? His brain was telling him something about coffee.

"Is coffee brown?" He asked slowly.

"Umm….it can be?"

He grinned. "Coffee sounds wonderful!"

* * *

**Stoned Jaune strikes again. This omake was brought to you by JJD.**


	29. Hello Again

**Here comes ch 28.**

* * *

Jaune tapped on his desk, annoyed. Why couldn't this class end already? He had places to be.

With a quiet sigh, he glanced at clock mounted just above blackboard. Damn thing was mocking him, its pointers moving at least three times slower than they should.

_Just a little bit more…_

Seconds dragged on endlessly, as Jaune tried to will time to flow faster. Just thirty seconds more…

Twenty…

Ten…

Jaune was on his feet the moment bell sounded. Finally, classes for the day were over! He didn't have supplementary lessons with Oobleck today either, and while he probably should explain a few more things about Wraiths to his friends, they should be fine if he postponed it a little, right?

Of course they would. Now he was free, and nothing would…

"All first year team leaders, please stay behind." Dr Oobleck called out.

...stop him.

Jaune cursed, his eyes darting towards the door. What would happen if he pretended he hadn't heard his teacher? It probably wasn't anything too important anyway, he could always ask Ruby what it was about later, right?

"Come closer, everyone, don't be shy. You too, Mr. Arc, and hurry up, let's not waste our time."

Well, that last statement was something Jaune could get behind at least. With a heavy sigh, and one last longing glance towards the door, he moved closer to Dr. Oobleck's desk, standing next to Ruby, and as far away from Cardin as possible. It had been a while since anyone from team CRDL tried to bully him, but he still prefered to not get too close to them.

"I'll keep it brief." Oobleck began when they all gathered.

 _Sounds good to me._ Thought Jaune.

"After analyzing the performance of all first year teams so far, we've come to conclusion that while most of you are very skilled individually, most teams lack in terms of… well  _teamwork._ "

Jaune nodded. He couldn't help but agree - most group exercises they had done so far ended up with everyone doing their own thing, hoping for the best. Not many teams showed anything even remotely resembling team tactics.

"That's why we decided to introduce supplementary lessons for team tactics and leadership."

More lessons? Well, at least they would be about something important. And since it's just a supplementary course, it's not like they had to attend them, right?

"These lessons will be mandatory for all team leaders, and they will affect your end of semester grades."

 _Well, crap._ Judging by the several groans, he wasn't only one not too thrilled about the additional workload.

 _Oh well, at least I'll learn something useful._ Jaune smiled a little.  _Leon always said I'm good leader material._

"So… when do those lessons start?" Someone asked.

Oobleck fixed his glasses.

"Right now. Take your seats."

Jaune froze.

_If I run really fast, maybe I can make it to the door before he stops me?_

Ruby tugged his sleeve and shot him a smile.

"Come on Jaune. I know you are in a hurry, but I'm sure it won't take too long."

With a heavy sigh blond hunter allowed his friend to pull him towards a seat. She was right. It was only five p.m. He would have plenty of time to do what he needed after this lesson.

* * *

Jaune sighed.

He was feeling very conflicted.

On one hand, fate seemed to be determined to keep him at Beacon today. First this new class with Oobleck, then Ruby dragged him to the armory, and after that he had to do some leftover homework for tomorrow. By the time he was done, it was well past nine p.m. - far too late to do what he had planned.

On the other hand, it was a rather productive day. He did good in Group Tactics class, and this little project he and Ruby had started was looking very promising.

_Oh, well. Tomorrow's another day._

"So, you wanted to ask something?" He spoke up. Both teams were gathered in JNPR's dorm room for some late night studying. Judging by the amount of snacks Ruby and Yang brought, Jaune somehow suspected there would be little studying, and a lot of parting.

At least as much as the teachers allowed.

"Yeah, its about Harrowed." Said Ruby. "In those books you gave us, they mentioned there are three classes of Harrowed. But there is little information on these… Aberrations? I was just wondering if you could tell us some more about them."

Jaune hummed. Well, that was a good question.

"I see." He paused for a moment, considering his answer.

"So, you guys know what the main difference between Wraith and Ghoul, right?"

"Ghouls are an animated dead body, that moves thanks to a limited amount of corrupted Aura left in them. Wraiths are made solely out of corrupted Aura, and they do not have physical bodies. This makes them…"

"Ok, Weiss that is enough. "Jaune said with a smile, ignoring the annoyed huff from the heiress." As Weiss said, there is a clear difference between a Ghoul and a Wraith. This is also represented in how you fight them. While there are differences between individual cases, every Ghoul will act in a similar way - try to ambush you, if that doesn't work, try to charge at you and tackle you down, and so on. Wraiths will generally stick close to the place they died, and every Wraith has a similar set of special abilities. Aberrations however, are different. They share traits with the two other categories. You can meet one that is big and bulky, but for example can breath fire. Or another that is more ghost-like, but doesn't have any special abilities. There is no universal rules to fighting one, you have to adapt."

"What's interesting is that there is no confirmed appearance of two identical Aberrations. Every single one encountered behaved, and looked, differently. Some of them more than others, but still there were differences. What's even worse is that, without Aura vision, it's hard to tell for sure if you killed one for good or not."

"There are some that can control objects, people, or even Grimm like puppets. There are some that can produce copies of themselves. There are records of ones that went through multiple stages of evolution, like some kind of insects. I've even heard of instances where they started colonies, similar to ants or bees. There really is no rhyme or reason to an Aberration."

"So… they can basically be anything?" Asked Yang.

Jaune sighed.

"Yeah. Any Harrowed that doesn't fit into any of the other categories is called an Aberration. Any other questions?

"Could you tell us more about Wraiths and their abilities? You mentioned earlier that their attacks are telegraphed, and from what I saw yesterday, it seems to be true." Said Ren.

"Well, yeah. While there might be some variations, most Wraiths have a few special abilities. Like I already mentioned, they can absorb Aura from their surroundings, they can dash short distances, and turn incorporeal. On top of that, every Wraith has the ability to attack a wide area around them, usually around ten to fifteen meters. They have also have a sort of lock-on attack, that will follow you even if you try to run. And of course there is their rage attack. It's always either a scream, or a very bright flash. Sometime a mix of both. After they use it, you definitely want to end the fight as fast as possible."

"Why?"

"Well… Wraiths use Aura for their special attacks. And since they are made out of it, they usually are pretty conservative in using their abilities. But after their rage attack, they're going berserk, and just spam them all the time, usually with more power too. So it's dangerous to drag it out, and if a Wraith uses up too much of its Aura, it will disappear, and reform later."

"I see…" Weiss nodded, putting her pen down and looking over the notepad she held.

_Wait, she was taking notes?_

Jaune shook his head. What was he expecting? It was Weiss afterall.

"Ok, now that lesson time is over, let's get to the real stuff." Yang broke into a grin and threw a can of soda towards blond hunter.

"So, Ladykiller, have some exciting stories from your travels? Or dirty ones?"

"Yang!" Ruby whined.

"Well…" Jaune hummed. "I guess? But I have to warn you, I'm not a good storyteller."

Yang snorted.

"You can't be worse than Peter. Go ahead Ladykiller, hit us with something."

"Ok. So, did I ever tell you guys how I unlocked my Aura? No? Ok, so me and Leon were traveling through Mistral…"

* * *

Jaune felt conflicted. And isn't that something he felt far too often lately? Tuesday went well, nothing crazy happening in the school. His supplementary lesson with Oobleck ended earlier, and prof... He meant doctor mentioned that if Jaune did well on the next test, there would be no need to continue them.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Jaune went straight towards Beacon's air docks. His friends caught him there, and they departed to Vale together.

Only to be grabbed by the police as soon as they left the bullhead.

Thirty minutes later they were sitting in Vale's Police Department main building, waiting for… something.

"So.. did you murder someone recently?" Asked Yang with a smirk, though it was a bit forced. Overall they all looked a bit spooked.

 _It's almost as if it's first time they've been brought to police station._ Jaune thought, looking over his friends.

"No one who wasn't dead already." He answered with a shrug.

There were a few moments of tense silence.

Jaune sighed.

"It was a joke."

Yang groaned.

"Your sense of humor is terrible. Though I should have guessed, after those stories you told us yesterday."

"What? I warned you I'm not a good storyteller!"

"Jaune…" Pyrrha interjected, with the kind of patient smile that a mother might have when explaining something to a child. "I think it's more about what those stories were about, than how you told them…"

Seeing his confused expression, the red haired champion sighed and shook her head.

"Every story you told us had you almost dying, or getting in some very serious trouble."

"Yeah! You shouldn't tell stuff like that at party! You should tell funny ones, or dirty ones, or for lack of anything better inspirational ones!" Yang exclaimed pointing finger at him.

"But I don't have any..."

"If you wanted to tell me that you had no dirty or funny stories, don't waste your breath, I won't believe it. And even if it were the truth - you should just come up with some!"

Jaune smiled. It looked like this little bit of banter helped his friends relax a little. Now, the only problem left was, why he was there? The police officers made it clear they were there for him, and wouldn't take no for answer, but seeing as there were no guns and handcuffs involved, it couldn't be about someone seeing him on the job and getting the wrong idea.

Besides, he hadn't done any jobs in the city for a long while. So what could it be?

His musings were interrupted by one of doors opening and someone who looked like a high ranking police officer walking out, looking over the gathered teens until his eyes meet Jaune's.

"Jaune Arc?"

The blond nodded, getting up.

"That's me."

"Please come inside."

Pyrrha got up, clearly intending to follow him, but he motioned for her to stay. This was definitely a business meeting, and so they wouldn't let someone not involved to get involved. Of course he would share what he was able to when he got out.

When the doors closed behind him, and Jaune took a moment to scan the room he was in. It was spacious, but sparsely decorated. The most prominent piece of furniture was a big, wooden desk, covered in neat piles of paperwork. The police officer who called for him took a seat behind the desk,and motioned for blonde to sit on one of chairs in front of it.

There were two more people in the room.

One, standing next to the police officer, and dressed in a black suit, was definitely a Company agent.

The second, sitting on a chair, and drinking from a hip-flask was a Hunter Jaune recognized as one of Leon acquaintances. What was his name again?

"Qrow, could you at least pretend you are taking this seriously?" Asked the man behind the desk

_Ah, right. Drunken Hunter Qrow. How could I forget?_

Jaune scoffed. 'Be mean'? What kind of fighting advice was that?

"I am! Pretending that is." He sighed, and looked Jaune over. "Yo, kiddo. You are the one who was in Spring Valley, right?"

Jaune just nodded, taking his seat. The older Hunter looked him, his eyes narrowing.

"Wait, I know you from somewhere."

Jaune shot him smile.

"Was traveling with Leon for a few years. We ran into each other a few times."

"Oh, I remember now! How is the old wolf doing?"

"Pretty well, from what I know. He got himself a nice, cozy job somewhere in northern Atlas."

Qrow blinked and barked a laugh.

"Damn, he must have been thrilled about that."

"Gentlemen, if you've finished your reunion, can we focus on the matter at hand?"

Both Hunters nodded and turned their attention to the man behind the desk.

"My name is Dekar and I'm in charge of investigating the Spring Valley incident. First of all, I would like to thank you Mr. Arc for your help. I know it must have been hard to attend all those hearings, but the information you provided helped us greatly."

"I was glad to help. Is this why I was summoned? Is there anything more I can help with?"

Dekar smiled.

"It's good to see someone so young so eager to do right. And yes there is something you can help us with. It's small matter, but important nonetheless. You see, thanks to the information we gathered, we were able to track down person we believe was responsible for this tragedy. He was spotted in some small village on the border with Mistral over a week ago. A special team was formed to locate, and apprehend him, lead by Mr. Qrow Branwen here."

Jaune tensed. They found him? Why had no one told him! He should have been there, he knew this bastards tricks better than anyone, he could…

"The operation was successful, and suspect was apprehended. We found multiple pieces of evidence on his person, including a substance similar to the one used in Spring Valley, that confirms he was indeed the one responsible. He didn't revealed much in the initial investigation, but what he said was as good as a confession."

Jaune was staring at the man in front of him, barely registering his words.

They got him? For real?

So it was… over?

Just like that?

"There are some formalities that need to be taken care of, but we want to begin the process as soon as possible. And this is why we contacted you, Mr. Arc. Out of all the Hunters that survived Spring valley, you are only one that we could contact. We know you might not want to have anything to do with it anymore, and your presence is not really necessary, but..."

"Ok."

Dekar blinked, surprised.

"You want me to testify against him, right?"

The older man nodded slowly. He looked like he was unsure what to say.

"Yes. That too. But there is one more matter. It's rather delicate and unusual situation. Normally, I wouldn't even consider it, but give the situation..."

"What is it?"

"He wants to talk to you. Said he wouldn't talk with anyone else." Qrow explained.

Jaune blinked. This monster… Wanted to talk with him? Jaune chuckled, and shook his head.

"He wants to… talk?" Another chuckle, this one much more desperate. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. Then another one, when first didn't help. And then a third one.

"Well, ok." He said, when he finally felt like he wouldn't try to snap the bastard's neck as soon as he saw him.

"Let's get this over with. I have places to be."

* * *

Jaune was… he honestly didn't know what he felt anymore. Multiple emotions whirled around inside of him, each fighting for dominance, but no single one capable of overpowering the others. It left him in a state of daze, where he wasn't sure what was going on anymore.

The interrogation was quick. The bastard confessed to everything, told them exactly how he did it, and why. He didn't look like he regretted a single thing - besides the fact his plan failed, that is. There were a lot of questions, and accusations. Jaune vaguely remembered asking a few himself, but it felt distant to him. Like it was some movie that was playing in the background, when he was focused on the only thing that really mattered.

His face.

He was young, very young. He looked a bit lost about what happened. As if he truly couldn't understand why everyone hated him so much.

And he was young. Too young.

Jaune still couldn't remember his face, but he was sure that the person who hurt Sam was older. And far more confident.

He remembered that after they were done, Dekar took him to a separate room, and asked him some questions. Jaune was almost certain he answered them. He also remembered Yang and Ruby being excited to see Qrow. Turns out he was their uncle or something.

But none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was that person locked away in a cell, and awaiting processing, was not Master.

It was not over.

A hand landed on his shoulder, and he turned to look at his partner.

"I'm fine." He said, with a steady voice that surprised even himself. "I'm fine." He repeated.

Pyrrha smiled and nodded. He wasn't fine, and they both knew it. But he would be.

Jaune slapped his cheeks, and shook his head. This was no time to be gloomy. He looked up at the grey building of Vale Main Hospital and a small smile crept up on his face.

To hell with Master. He had better things to do right now.

The nurse at the reception desk pointed him to the right room. It still took awhile to find it, the place was just that big. Or it might have been because he was too excited and missed the right turn once or ten times? Who knows.

Anyway, when they finally got there, and stopped Yang's teasing, it was to find his parents at the door. After a brief conversation, Jaune took deep breath and entered the room.

"You're late." Were the first words that greeted him.

He smiled sheepishly.

"I guess I am. But I think you should be used to it by now."

Samantha Birger snorted.

"I guess I am." She looked him over, a small smile on her lips.

"You somehow look less dorky than usual. I guess there is still some hope for…" she paused when he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing tightly.

"Sam…" he choked out.

"And here goes your image." She joked. And her voice definitely didn't choke there.

"I'm…" he paused, took a deep breath, and hugged her even tighter. "I'm glad you're back."

She hugged him back, deciding to not comment on the wetness she felt where his head pressed on her dress.

"Yeah…"she leaned her head on his shoulder, smiling softly. "Me too."

* * *

It was a nice day. Sunny and warm, despite the quickly approaching winter. He still managed to gather a few fresh herbs - probably the last batch before colder days came.

He carefully measured the right amount of powder from box he was holding. Some might not understand how important precision was in these kind of things. .

Making a good team was, after all an art.

"Here you are." He said setting one cup in front of his guest. It was surprising, but not unwelcome to get visitor here. It was clear he was sought out, and there were only a few reasons for someone to look for him.

"Thank you." His guest looked pleasantly surprised by the drink they were offered. He smiled. It was nice to see someone appreciate good tea.

Not many people did this days.

They spent a few moments on idle chat, nothing important. Eventually, as much as he enjoyed it, he decided to cut to the point.

"As much as I would love to continue our chat, I doubt you came all the way here to entertain this old man. What do you want, child?"

His guest smiled.

"My… associate is looking for talented people for a certain project, and would love to meet you in person. She is certain you could help each other out."

"Oh? And how little old me could help this associate of yours?"

"No need to be humble. After All, your expertise in usage of herbs and Dust is well know in certain circles… Master."

He laughed.

"Please, don't call me that. I always feel embarrassed when people use that nickname, as if I'm someone standing above them."

"Then how would you like to be addressed?"

He hummed. That was a good question, wasn't it? He could give his birth name, but… it was decades since he used it last. It would feel wrong. Then he recalled a fond memory of his latest student, and how he sometimes called him.

"I guess you can call me Alchemist."

His guest nodded.

"Very well. As I said, my associate would love to meet you. Of course we have transportation prepared. If you would like to…"

"Ok, let's go."

She blinked, surprised. He laughed.

"Now, what's with that look? Winter is coming, and I'm getting old. I'm sure wherever your associate lives, it will be warmer than this old hut there. Plus, I wouldn't say no to some company. Brothers know I was stuck all by my lonesome for far too long." He got up, and quickly gathered what little belongings he had.

"Now let's move out! Lead the way, Miss…?"

"Emerald." His guest said, opening the door. "Emerald Sustrai."

* * *

**Well, I guess Jaune will have a chance to meet Master, probably sooner than he would like to. But hey, at least Sam is back! How will she affect Jaune's life from now on? Only one way to find out.**

**In the other news,** **I made account at patreon (patreon.com/Cr00cy). I will not stop writing if there will be no donations, or anything crazy like that, so don't worry. But if you have spare dollar or two, it would mean a lot if you decided to pledge.**


	30. Staking Your Claim

 

* * *

Time ceased to exist. Or at least, Jaune felt that way. In fact, if the whole world suddenly disappeared, and this one, small hospital room was all that left, he wouldn't have noticed - and probably wouldn't have cared either.

No, even this room was not important. All that mattered was the girl in his arms. Her warmth, her breathing, the scent of her favorite shampoo. Jaune held her tightly, emotions whirling inside him. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but words just wouldn't leave his clenched throat.

She pulled away from him a little, just enough to look him in the eyes. Green meet blue, and Jaune smiled.

Words? Who needed them? Certainly not them. Anything they wanted to convey to each other, they could do with just a glance.

Jaune squeezed her shoulders just a bit tighter.

_I'm sorry I was late._

Sam smiled.

_It's ok. I'm sorry I got you worried._

He chuckled, his hand moving to push a stray lock of hair out of her face.

_It's ok. Just don't do it again._

It met hers halfway through. She took his hand in hers and squeezed lightly.

_I won't. But only if you don't leave me._

He squeezed back.

_I won't._

She moved they hands up, placing them on her cheek.

_Promise?_

He smiled, his forehead touching hers.

_Promise._

She smiled back, closing her eyes, just enjoying the moment. He was so close, and held her so tightly. It was perfect, nothing could…

"So, you gonna kiss already, or what?" A very annoying, and very familiar voice sounded.

Sam sighed at the same time as Jaune. They looked each other in the eyes, and giggled.

"Seriously, just do it already. I can leave and guard the doors. How much time you need? Ten minutes? Twenty?"

"Crystal. It's nice to see you again." Sam said, with a small smile.

The oldest of the Arc siblings grinned and closed her scroll.

"You too, Sammy." Crystal walked towards the younger girl and hugged her briefly.

"We all missed you." She pulled back, fixing Sam's hair.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good. I'm a bit dizzy, and it's hard to move around. Doctors said they should be able to sign me out tomorrow, unless something unexpected happens."

"That's great. Will you be coming back home? Or stop by Hunter's Rest?"

Sam rolled her eyes.

"You're asking as if I had any choice in the matter. Mei called two hours ago and made it clear she  _will_  kidnap me if my parents don't bring me there."

Crystal chuckled, shaking her head.

"I guess you're right. Anyway, I would love to stay and talk more, but I gotta go. See ya later Sammy. Oh, and don't try anything funny, Jaune's friends are still outside."

"Oh, right! I almost forgot." Jaune smiled. "My friends from Beacon came with me. You have to meet them. They are amazing people. I'm sure you will…" He was interrupted when the doors opened and a middle aged woman in a white coat walked into the room. She looked over the people in the room, and fixed her glasses.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." She said, with a tone suggesting wasn't really. "But I need to perform some check ups on Miss Samantha. Besides, visiting hours are already over."

Jaune slumped, and shot a pleading look towards the younger girl. Samantha just sighed.

"Just go. We can talk more tomorrow. Besides. " She yawned theatrically. " I'm getting tired."

"Oh…" Jaune looked lost for a moment, but eventually got up. "So… when will they sign you out? I could come over and…"

"I don't know."

"So…"

"Just go already."

Jaune hanged his head low, muttered a goodbye and left. Crystal watched him go, then smirked.

"That was pretty mean, Sammy. I wonder if I should show him something nice to cheer him up."

Sam tensed.

"Something nice?"

Crystal nodded.

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe this recording of you calling his name in your sleep. With this goofy grin on your face…"

Sam stared at the older woman for a few moments. Then sighed.

"What do you want?"

Crystal blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"What do I..." she said pointing to herself, "...give you..." she pointed at Crystal, "...so that you delete that video."

"I'm afraid you have nothing valuable enough to offer, my dear. But if it's just to prevent me from showing it to him, I think we can come to an arrangement." She said with a wink.

Samantha just sighed again. She had a feeling the price would be high, but what choice did she have? That recording could never see the light of day.

The only silver lining was that Crystal couldn't read minds, and thus didn't know what Sam was dreaming about back then.

* * *

Sam fixed her dress for the hundredth time. It was simple, white, and reached just below her knees. Was it a good choice? It didn't make her look like a kid, right? She sighed, and glanced at one of the many windows in Hunter's Rest main room. She could just barely make her reflection out - dark red hair, worn tied in a single ponytail. She didn't wear any accessories besides a necklace made of green stone that a certain blond brought her from Mistral. She didn't have any makeup - not like she needed it.

And fact that a certain dork-knight once said he didn't like girls who put on too much makeup certainly had nothing to do with it.

Sam sighed, and fixed her dress for the one hundredth and first time, once again wondering if it was a good choice. Was it too formal? Maybe she should get changed? Then again, Jaune would be bringing his friends with him. She had to make a good impression! No way in hell she would let it be a repeat of Atlas.

She sighed, and attempted to fix her dress again, but the voices from outside stopped her.

The doors opened, and eight people entered the Hunter's Rest. Sam's first thought was 'oh, he's on time for once'.

Her second one was 'why are there so many girls with him?!' Seriously, what was that about? He was surrounded by six,  _six_  gorgeous girls! All of them beautiful and mature, expect for the short one that looked a lot like Rubin, and they were all so close to him!

Sam took a deep breath and put on her best smile. It wouldn't do to be mean to Jaune's friends. Afterall, just because they were girls didn't mean they were after him!

Her eyes scanned the group approaching her table once again, until they stopped on another familiar figure. Her smile instantly became a bit more relaxed. She tried to get up and greet them properly, but didn't get the chance.

Weiss Schnee walked up to her as quickly as she could without actually running, and hugged her lightly.

"It's good to see you again, Sam."

The younger girl hesitated for a moment, and then returned the hug.

"You too, Mi.." White haired girl's grip tightened a bit.

"Weiss." Sam amended quickly. They pulled back, Weiss sitting in the chair to her left.

"Ok, I think I need some context for this one." Samantha looked up at the speaker, and instantly felt worse. The girl was beautiful. Long, blonde hair make her look like one of Jaune sisters. She was currently holding  _her_  Jaune in a headlock, with his head very close to her…assets.

Sam narrowed her eyes. This one was a threat, that was for sure.

"Yang, stop strangling Jaune." The shorter girl whined.

_Ok, that one is a potential ally._

"Ok, so, everyone, this is my childhood friend, Samantha Birger. Sam, these are my friends from Beacon. This is Ruby, leader of team RWBY"

He said, pointing at short, dark haired girl who waved with a broad smile. Sam waved back.

"Her sister, and master of terrible puns, Yang."

"They're not bad, they're great, and you know it. You're just jealous." Said the blonde bombshell, turning towards the younger girl. "Hi there. Jaune couldn't stop talking about you." Her eyes narrowed. "I'm sure you have plenty of interesting stories about him, huh?"

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. Yang looked like big tease. Not the type of girl Jaune would take interest in.

"One or two." She said aloud, nodding politely.

"And finally, Blake." he said pointing towards the black haired girl. She just nodded in greeting, which Sam returned. This one…might be tricky. She looked like the cool, collected type. Jaune could act like a dork sometimes… well, most of the time. There was a good chance she wouldn't be interested in someone like that.

_Better to keep an eye on her…_

"And now my team. Lie Ren, and his childhood friend Nora Valkyrie." Sam nodded with a smile. This Nora girl, she was  _definitely_  an ally.

"And last but not least, my partner, Pyrrha Nikos." The red haired girl waved at her happily, a friendly smile on her lips.

Sam waved back, and did her best to smile back. What the hell was  _Pyrrha freaking Nikos_  was doing in Vale? Why wasn't she studying in Mistral? They had a Hunter academy there too.

Sam eyed the older woman and winced. They both had red hair and green eyes, but the older girl was just…  _more._ Longer, more red hair, eyes a deeper shade, and other…

Sam spared a brief glance at her chest.

…assets. It was like looking at an older, more mature and more beautiful version of herself.

 _Doesn't matter. I won't lose._ She thought.

"It's nice to meet all of you. Please, sit down."

"Ok, so, I really need to know. How you and Ice Princess here know each other? I've never,  _ever,_  seen her hug someone like that."

Both Weiss and Sam blushed slightly. Jaune laughed.

"It's a funny story actually."

"Jaune, don't." Sam growled.

"You see, Sam was always a big fan of Weiss, when she was still singing."

"Oh?" Yang drawled, grinning.

"Yeah. So, when I was going to Atlas to gather Dust for Eclipse, I learned that Sam and her parents were there. So I figured, I'll ask Weiss if she wouldn't mind sparing a moment and meeting with my friend. She graciously agreed to grant her an audience."

"Jaune, stop." Weiss growled.

"So, I brought Sam to Weiss' place.." Jaune continued, seemingly obvious to the glares the two girls were sending him.

"Wait, you brought her to Schnee mansion? Just like that?" Asked Pyrrha, surprised.

"Yeah."

"Her father agreed? I heard he is…" she trailed off, shooting a wary glance towards Weiss.

Jaune sighed.

"I believe word you are looking for is 'an asshole'. And yes he is, but you are greatly overestimating his concern for his family, if you think he gives damn about what Weiss is doing, as long as it don't get in the way of his plans."

Everyone looked at Weiss, who just shrugged.

"Anyway, I bring Sam to Weiss room, and she is all excited to meet her idol…"

"I was not!" She shouted, then shot wary look at the girl next to her. "I mean, I was happy to meet you, but…"

"And Weiss is freaking out, because she has no idea how to talk with someone who isn't a Very Important Business Partner."

"I wasn't!" The heiress protested.

"So, we sit together, and this is like, the most awkward and stiff conversation ever. Like, it's so terrible that even Weiss' butler is trying to ease the atmosphere by telling some jokes. Spoiler alert - it didn't work." He laughed.

"So, I sit there, and there is this awkward silence, and I think to myself, if I don't do something, this will end terribly. So, I did only thing I could think of to fix it." Jaune signed, pausing for a moment.

"What did you do?" Yang asked, excited.

"I took out my guitar, and did my best cover of one of Weiss' songs."

"Wait, you can play? And sing?"

"No, he can't!" Weiss growled.

"This was horrible! It was musical murder!" Sam whined.

"It shouldn't even be possible to produce such terrible sounds!" Weiss lamented.

Jaune grinned.

"Of course, it was on purpose. I'm pretty good with guitar when I try." He ignored the snort from both girls. "But back on topic - my plan worked, and both of them relaxed."

"If by 'relaxed,' you mean 'worked together to kill you,' then yes, let's go with that." Said Weiss with a sigh. Then her eyebrows furrowed, before her eyes widened in realization. She glanced at Sam, who nodded. Both girls moved a bit closer to Jaune, muscle tensed.

"So, after a bit of tussle, we got back to talking, and this time it went much smoother. I think so anyway, because I had to leave."

"Why?" Asked Ruby.

Jaune opened his mouth to answer, and noticed Weiss and Sam glaring at him, and let out a nervous chuckle.

"Well… stuff happened."

"Stuff?" Ruby asked slowly.

"Stuff." Jaune confirmed.

The young Huntress stared at him for a moment, then looked at Sam, Weiss, and finally back to Jaune, who for some reason was starting to sweat.

"If you say so…" she said with shrug. It didn't sound too important anyway.

"Anyway, when I went back, the two of them acted like best friends." Jaune hummed. "They kinda reminded me of my sisters when they played together. It was kinda cute."

Pyrrha, Ruby and Nora smiled. Yang grinned.

"You have pictures?" She asked.

"No, he doesn't." Said Weiss, with a slight blush.

"Yes, I do." Jaune countered.

"HOW?!" Both Sam and Weiss shouted at the same time.

"We stopped you!" Weiss whined.

"We even broke your scroll!" Sam added.

Jaune raised a single eyebrow.

"Oh, so it  _was_  you two afterall. Heh, good to know."

Weiss mumbled something very unladylike under her breath.

"A-anyway, how is Jaune doing at school? I hope he hasn't been too much of trouble?" Asked Sam quickly.

"Nah," Nora waved her hand. "Fearless leader is alright. Right, Renny?".

Sam blinked.

"Wait, he is your team leader?" Pyrrha, Ren and Nora nodded.

Sam sent them a sad smile.

"I'm, sorry. It must have been hard for you…"

"Hey!" Jaune protested, but went ignored.

"He isn't that bad…" Said Pyrrha.

"Thank you, partner!"

"When he isn't running off on dangerous missions alone, without telling us anything."

Jaune laughed nervously.

"It wasn't that bad…"

Sam glared at him.

"Let me guess. This was about the guy, right?" Jaune laughed again, rubbing the back of his head.

Sam sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"You idiot. Haven't you learned anything after Atlas?"

"Wait, what happened in Atlas?" Weiss asked, her eyes narrowed. "I know he was part of the team that was tracking that guy down, but he said he was in reserve."

"Well…" Jaune began, but stopped when Sam glared at him.

"This idiot." She said, pointing at the blond knight. "Went off on his own, and almost got himself killed."

All eyes zeroed in on Jaune, who raised his hands defensively.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad…"

"Oh really?" Sam shook her head. "Because your mom said you ended up in hospital with three broken ribs, a punctured lung, heavy burns, and a broken arm and leg."

"Jaune…" Weiss, Ruby, and Pyrrha growled at the same time.

The boy in question paled, and laughed nervously.

"Hey, it's all in the past. What was, and wasn't, doesn't matter, am I right? Oh look, food is coming!" He shouted out, desperately pointing at the kitchen doors.

Everyone turned - and gasped. Jaune smiled. Tob had that effect on people.

"Here you are, Hunter's Rest finest cuisine. "

Pyrrha looked at the mountain of a man, then the plate of food placed in front of her, then back at the man.

Thank you, Mr…?"

"Please, just call me Tob." He said with a wink.

"Oi, watch it you old bear. Mei will kick your ass if she will sees you flirt with younger girls. Plus, she is my partner, so hands off."

"Relax there laddie. And I think Mei would be much more interested in the fact you never mentioned that you are friends with six beautiful young girls." He winked at him. "You better watch out. I'm holding her back for now, but if she breaks free…" he shook his head. Jaune snorted.

"Yeah, sure. Like she would leave you alone in the kitchen." The older man laughed, and left.

* * *

Blake took a sip of her tea and smiled. It was delicious. She glanced at the rest of her friends, currently listening to one of Tob's stories. The old Hunter proved to be as eager to tell them as Profesor Port - though he was a much better storyteller.

Then again, that wasn't saying much.

She took another sip and smiled. The day had been an…interesting one. When Ruby announced they would be going outside of Vale to meet Jaune's childhood friend, she was skeptical, but it turned out to be a rather pleasant gathering. Samantha turned out to be a very polite girl, and, judging by her reaction to the obviously faunus owner of Hunter's Rest, not a racist.

After the initial introduction, they quickly started into easy conversation. The young girl's crush on Jaune become clear pretty fast, something that Yang was all too happy to exploit for her amusement.

Though, Blake had to admit that it was impressive how adamant Weiss, Jaune and Sam were about not revealing any embarrassing stories about each other.

The faunus girl hummed. It was surprising to find out the heiress knew Samantha already, but an even bigger one to find out they were pretty close. The younger girl obviously looked up to ex-singer, and her teammate didn't even bother to hide how much she cared about the red haired girl. If not for the different hair color, Blake would have thought they were sisters.

"Hey, Blake, you have a moment?"

She turned around and noticed Jaune standing there, shuffling nervously. She raised an eyebrow, and nodded.

"Could we move somewhere, umm, more private? I wanted to ask you something, but…" he trailed off.

Now she was curious. They usually didn't talk much, and Jaune struck her as someone rather shy when it came to interacting with other people, especially girls.

Which begged the question how he managed to befriend Weiss of all people, but she supposed it was a topic for another day.

Instead, she finished her tea and stood up. Jaune motioned for her to follow, and led her through the short corridor to a door leading to a small garden behind Hunter's Rest. She shivered when she stepped into the cold night. Winter was fast approaching, and nights weren't as warm as just a few weeks back.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" She asked when they stopped.

"Well…" he began, rubbing the back of his head." The thing is… I mean…".

Blake rolled her eyes.

"Come on Jaune. Just say it, don't fumble like a teen confessing to a girl." He blushed, and Blake felt chill that had nothing to do with cold air. "This is not you confessing to me, right?"

"What? No!"

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank the Gods." It took her a second to realize that what she said was kinda rude. "I mean, it's not that there is something wrong with you, but…"

He smiled.

"I'm not your type?"

Blake shrugged.

"Yeah."

"I get it. And don't worry, I'm not confessing to you. It's just that I wanted to ask something that is almost definitely personal, but I'm not sure how much, and I don't want to offend you, and now I'm just babbling." He sighed. "This is so much easier with my sisters. Or Weiss." He muttered quietly.

Blake wasn't sure how to feel about fact that someone said Weiss Schnee was easier to talk to than her.

"Just ask. I promise I won't get offended. Probably." She added after a second of thought.

"Thanks, that really put my mind at ease." Jaune a took deep breath, and looked her straight in the eye.

"Why are you hiding the fact you're Faunus?"

Blake tensed. Her first thought was to run. Her second to draw her weapon. Her third to run anyway.

She took a deep breath, and let it go slowly.

_Calm down. Just calm down._

It took her a few moments to relax. Jaune just watched her the whole time, not moving or saying anything.

"How did you…? She asked finally.

"Back when I took you on that job to exterminate Harrowed. You got affected by the Wraith's scream the most of all of us, despite the fact you covered your ears in time. After that, I just couldn't help but notice how your bow twitches from time to time."

Blake let out a tired sigh. It looked like cat was out of the bag. And now she was making puns. Great, Yang was rubbing off on her. This was bad.

But she was distracting herself. He had asked her a question, she probably should give him an answer.

Too bad that she wasn't sure what it was.

"Look, you don't have to tell me. But if it has something to do with Weiss, don't worry. I can guarantee that she doesn't hate faunus." He sighed, shaking his head.

"It's not my place to tell you what to do. I'm sure you have your reasons to hide it, and it's not like I don't have a few secrets on my own. Just let me tell you this - if you are afraid of racists, you can be sure we won't sit by and let anyone bully you. And if it's something else…" he sighed again. "I don't know. But if it's something serious - I think you should still at very least tell your team. It's better if they find out from you, when it's calm, than it hit them when something dangerous is going on. Big secrets have a habit of doing that."

"You would know something about it, I guess." She said when he paused. Jaune chuckled.

"Yeah, I do. Anyway, let's go back inside. It's cold out here, and if we're missing too long, people might start getting ideas."

And wasn't that the truth? Blake could basically see Yang's shit eating grin.

They returned quickly, but they absence didn't go unnoticed. Thankfully, Yang was too busy talking with Sam about something to tease them. Judging by how much the young girl was blushing, and the occasional glances shot towards Jaune, Blake could guess what the talk was about.

She sighed, and glanced over her friends. She probably should tell them. Maybe not about her past as a part of the White Fang, just that she is Faunus.

Not tonight, but soon. Yeah. Definitely.

* * *

_Ok, girl, get a grip. You can do it._

Sam took a deep breath, and sat next to a certain blond knight.

"Jaune…" so far so good.

"Yeah?"

Now onto step two.

"... nothing." She whispered.

Damn it.

Jaune looked at her for a few moments, then shrugged and went back to listening to Tob's story.

Samantha sighed. Yang advice was... risky. Scandalous even. But she had to admit it was probably the only way to go through Jaune's thick head. What should she do? She looked up and caught Yang's eyes. The older girl mouthed 'do it'.

She bit her lip. She knew what the blonde Huntress meant, but could she really do it? What if she scared him away?

Sam took a deep breath, and slowly, carefully leaned on Jaune.

"Sam?" The blond asked.

"I'm tired." She said quietly.

He just smiled and shifted, so that she could lean on him more comfortably.

"This brings back memories. We used to sit like that when we were younger all the time." He said.

Yes, they did. But it wasn't the same for her anymore, and she would make sure it wasn't the same for him too.

_Ok girl, step one down. Now don't chicken out, and go for step two._

She mumbled something as answer, and took a deep breath to steady herself. This next part was tricky...

Minutes passed, and finally Tob's tale ended. Jaune smiled - he'd heard it many times, but somehow it never got old.

"Hey, Sam…" he paused when he noticed younger girl had her eyes closed, her breathing even. Jaune smiled, moving a stray lock of her hair out of her face. Then, he got up, carefully picking the sleeping girl up. Tob spared a single glance at them and nodded. Jaune nodded back, and started walking towards Sam's room. If he looked more carefully, he might have noticed Yang watching them carefully.

Or the small smirk on Sam's lips.

_Step two - complete._

* * *

He knew the way to her room well. Jaune looked at the sleeping girl in his arms and smiled. It was just like old times. They would sit near the fireplace, listening to Tob's tales and drinking tea. Sam would eventually fall asleep, and he would carry her to her room, before retiring to his own, and dreaming of doing all the things he'd just heard about on his own.

He pushed the doors open and walked inside. It was a small room, similar to his own. He carefully placed the girl on her bed. He removed her boots and socks, then he paused. Should he remove dress too?

He looked her over, suddenly noticing how much she'd changed since last time he saw her awake. She was a young lady now. A small smile appeared on his lips. Better to not push his luck.

He made to leave, but a hand grabbing his, stopping him.

"Don't leave me." He looked down. Green eyes stared into his, and there was… something in them that forced him to comply. He turned to pull himself chair, but Sam pulled him back.

"Sam, I just want to…" She pulled him again. He sighed and sat next to her, setting her onto his laps. She tensed, then relaxed.

Jaune chuckled, and started humming some melody, holding her close with one hand, and stroking her hair with the other. After a few moments, Sam's breath evened out, and Jaune stopped his humming. Instead, he just looked at her. Her face, lit by moonlight, looked so serene. So calm. And the way the light danced on her hair…

 _When did you grow into such a beautiful lady?_ He shook his head. Now, he probably should leave, but somehow, he didn't want to. After All, Sam wanted him to stay, right?

* * *

_Crap, I feel asleep!_

Samantha cursed internally. It was going so well, and then Jaune had to use his dork magic to make her so comfortable and relaxed that she fallen asleep without even realizing it. Damn it all, and it was going so… well.

It was about then when she realized something was wrong. She wasn't lying, rather sitting. She was covered by a blanket, but her head wasn't resting on a soft pillow, rather on something harder. And warmer. And this something was rising rhythmically, and there was this sound she could hear…

She slowly looked up, only to see Jaune's face only millimeters away from her own.

_Ok, first things first. Breath girl, just breath._

She started to do just that.

_Good, now say clam. You fallen asleep in Jaune's arms. No big deal, you've done it before._

Except, apparently, it was a big deal, if the way her heart hammered in her chest was any indication.

She swallowed. He was so close. His face was so close. His lips…

She licked her own. So close… if she only moved a little…

His eyes opened, and Sam had to fight to not whine. Her chance was gone.

"Sam…?" He whispered, apparently still half asleep.

"Yeah…" she whispered back.

He stared at her.

She started back.

He leaned a bit towards her.

Her eyes drifted shut, while her lips parted.

The sound of a photo being taken might as well been an explosion. Both Jaune and Sam turned towards source of the sound, only to see several people standing in the door.

"Now, now, now, aren't we bold, huh?" Yang asked, an epic grin on her face, and scroll in hand.

"Please, don't let me get in your way. By all means, do continue."

* * *

**So, Sam is back, and she is gonan fight for her knight. There is no stopping her now!**

**Not much to say here, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


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